Scientists Are Trying to Grow Crops in the Dark

Jul 4, 2022 7:00 AMPowering plant growth with solar panels instead of photosynthesis could be a more efficient way of using the sun’s energy for food. But it’s not all good news.

Photograph: Marie Hickman/Getty Images

We owe a lot to the work of the sun. For a start. A group ofbacteria evolved a way to turn light and water into energy. Our atmosphere would eventually be turned into a life-supporting mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide by theseMicrobes. All of it started with photosynthesis.

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