5 ms·
Plants have evolved to adapt to a certain environment, and if we change those parameters to promote a certain behaviour (e.g. higher yield) then most likely it
by welfare 6y ago
Plants have evolved to adapt to a certain environment, and if we change those parameters to promote a certain behaviour (e.g. higher yield) then most likely it comes at a cost (e.g. is the produce less nutritious?)
- TomMarius 6y agoEvolution does not optimize to global maxima, it prefers local maximas. The path it has taken so far is also pretty convoluted.
- spooneyluv 6y agoIt's pretty clear that sunlight isn't the absolute best spectrum for growing plants, so we know plants haven't evolved optimally to make use of the sun's spectrum as-is. I think a local max is the right idea. this tech is shortcutting that evolution and providing a better spectrum without using electricity, like LEDs would.
- Jyaif 6y agoWhy does the change have to be negative for humans? The products could just as well become more nutritious.
- Valgrim 6y agoI'm curious to know if there's a limit to selecting plants cultivars. What should we optimize for? Vitamins, minerals, proteins, glucids, lipids, fibers or other macromolecules? Should we allow some sacrifice in taste, appearance, yield, resistance, conservation?