I’m both fascinated and bewildered by photosynthesis, but it wasn’t always this way. Like most people, I knew the headline – it’s how plants make food using light from the sun. But I hadn’t explored it any deeper. I’m not a botanist, a chemist, or an ecologist and it’s one of those tricky words; it’s an apt name (Photo = light; synthesis = to make or combine), but it does the process no real favours. It doesn’t beckon you in, but once you’re there it is tremendous company.
What follows then comes from enthusiasm, not expertise. There’s a list of excellent books and videos below, which have really helped and inspired me to try and grasp photosynthesis. Where it seems appropriate I’ve included some particular references, and I’ve attempted to make my summary as accurate as my ability allows. Please do check out the writers, scientists, educators and websites I’ve highlighted to experience real knowledge!
For me, the thing that has felt urgent is figuring out whether it is important to understand photosynthesis at all. Without it, life as we know it would not exist. You and I would not exist. But life is full of vital things that only experts really know about and we all still get by. Is photosynthesis any different? I’d argue it is. By learning about it and appreciating it, I believe it reveals something true about the world and our place in it.
Therefore it felt natural to weave in other fascinating and important issues, all of which relate to photosynthesis in different ways. The following structure is evolving out of my own journey into the subject: in part 1, I focus on the process of photosynthesis from within the leaf, getting into the tiny intricate details; in part 2, I dive into what light is and get a bit cosmic; and in part 3 (coming soon), I will explore some more human-scale issues.
One of the other great things about photosynthesis is that to talk about it we have to talk about the biggest things in the universe and the smallest. It’s a thread that if we choose to follow can take us from the origins of life to a sustainable future for human society.
Part 3 – Society (Coming Soon)
A note on sources and further information:
If you find photosynthesis or any of the associated issues interesting, I urge you to seek out the writers, scientists and educators below. These pages attempt to distill what I found to be the most fascinating parts of the process, and all of these books, videos and websites were vital and excellent, in different ways and at different times. I’ve endeavoured to include specific references when relevant, but these three parts are my attempt to summarise what I learnt in a very accessible way. I did find Craig Savage’s series of five YouTube videos on photosynthesis particularly good at explaining it. Check them out here.
The Secret Life Of Trees, by Colin Tudge
A Cabaret Of Plants, by Richard Mabey
Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees, by Roger Deakin
Eating The Sun: How Plants Power the Planet, by Oliver Morton
The Emerald Planet, by David Beerling (and BBC TV series ‘How to grow a planet’)
Photosynthesis, by Isaac Asimov
Molecular Mechanics of Photosynthesis, by Robert E Blankenship
Trees, by Roland Ennos
Brilliant Green, by Stefano Mancuso & Alessandro Viola
Who Really Feeds The World, by Vandana Shiva
The Triumph of Seeds, by Thor Hanson
Plants: From Roots To Riches, by Caroline Fry and Kathy Willis
Where Our Food Comes From, by Gary Paul Nabhan
Life on the Edge, by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden
The Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science: Phyiscs, Chemistry and Biology Facts by Corinne Stockley, Chris Oxlade and Jane Weirtheim
Craig Savage photosynthesis videos on YouTube
Bozeman Science Biology videos by Paul Andersen on YouTube
Khan Academy lessons on photosynthesis
Frontiers for Young Minds
thesideshoots.com 