Can We Hack Photosynthesis to Feed the World? | Steve Long | TED

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Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes on the planet, helping produce the food we eat and the air we breathe. Crop scientist Steve Long thinks it could be more efficient — and he’s intent on giving it a boost. He shows how hacking photosynthesis could help feed the world all while reducing climate change.

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24 thoughts on “Can We Hack Photosynthesis to Feed the World? | Steve Long | TED”

  8. The insufficiency problem isn't a problem with production — we currently grow much more than what we can consume with a lot of that coming indirectly through animals. The actual problem is distribution, which is political. What better way to control a population than by keeping it hungry? So while I'm all for improving how we grow our food, the solution to hunger lies with how we treat one another. Thank you for this excellent talk! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Carbon based life thrives in a carbon abundant environment. More carbon in the air more lung infections and quicker deaths in animals(including humans). Inturn feeds more carbon into the soil feeding plants more food it likes makes bigger plants.

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  10. I'm good with making things more efficient, but if we ever lose the ability to put some seeds in our pocket, plant them in ordinary soil and grow food/seeds I would have to believe we don't have a bright future.

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  11. Hey its Alisa ili Agian. Coming to you alive and welcoming. Now heres something i just though through.
    So the placement of the plant escalated the plant like a bomb. Now in order to energies the plant enough for photosynthesis to project we have to compensate it by 4 by 2 so 12. Its like a bomb energy for energy. To rallie the plant into one microdose.

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  12. I can only imagine if such was achieved, to the benefit of mankind,
    Governments would in turn, hack it. They would regulate it, control the increased food production, place regulations on the farmers who grow it,
    and find a way to enrich revenue by increasing food prices.
    And any over produced food that will not be sold because of populace not able to afford it?
    Throw it out.
    Unreal.
    But I guess someone told me that is what they do right now…

    Reply

  13. Because of excessive topsoil erosion and groundwater depletion, we may need to use more and more genetic engineering of food crops just to keep up with population growth which will hopefully peak in a couple decades. Being able to incorporate corn's C4 carbon fixing pathway into other crops with only less efficient C3 pathways would be a game changer.

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  15. We already over produce. Dude is going to patent it for money made and people are stupid enough to by these plants that are grown in modern farming that are depleting soil resources.

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  17. 00:04 🌍 Food insufficiency affects approximately one in 10 people globally, a number expected to worsen, especially in African and Asian countries.
    01:02 🌱 Photosynthesis in plants, responsible for producing food and oxygen, operates at about one-fifth of its potential efficiency.
    02:33 🖥 A digital twin model of photosynthesis was built to optimize and understand changes in the complex process, facilitating improvements in plant efficiency.
    05:02 🌿 Modifying plants to increase the abundance of a specific protein, SBPase, resulted in higher photosynthesis and yield, indicating potential for enhancing crop production.
    06:29 🔄 Adjusting crops to anticipated future carbon dioxide levels led to increased yield, demonstrating that evolution hasn't kept pace with environmental changes.
    07:26 ☀ Improving plants' adaptation to changing light conditions by regulating proteins showed a 20%+ increase in soybean seed yield.
    08:51 🌾 Collaborative efforts between scientists have led to combining photosynthetic enhancements with insect-resistant crops like cowpea, aiming to improve yields for vulnerable communities.
    10:51 🌿 Enhancing photosynthesis not only aids in addressing food insufficiency but also helps protect the environment and offers the potential for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

    Reply

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