So here goes:
From Mr. Gates' blog, GatesNotes, October 15:
Fixing flaws in photosynthesis could help boost productivity of our most important crops.
At some point in school, you probably learned about photosynthesis—how plants use energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food. This remarkable process is responsible for virtually all life on Earth, providing us with the energy we need and the oxygen we breathe.
But you might not have heard that photosynthesis has some flaws.HT: Value Investing World
It turns out that plants are quite inefficient when it comes to using the sun’s energy. Just a fraction of the sunlight shining on a plant ends up fueling its growth, which means our crops are producing far less food than they could be.
An international group of researchers is aiming to fix that by giving photosynthesis a tune up. If successful, their research is expected to double the productivity of some of our most important crops—like rice, maize, cowpea, soybeans, and cassava.
That would be a much-needed breakthrough because the world is facing a crisis at the dinner table. With a growing population and changes in diets—like a greater demand for more meat as people earn higher incomes—we’ll need to produce 60 to 70 percent more food by 2050. At the same time, climate change is putting additional stresses on our food supply because of erratic rainfall, severe droughts, and the spread of pests and crop diseases. ...MORE
I have a terrible confession to make.
The last two times we linked to GatesNotes I couldn't help thinking about Bill's retirement video, shown during his 2008 Consumer Electronics Show keynote address, with cameos that included Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and Brian Williams:
