I’m fascinated 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, to 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 and educators I’ve listed 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 we don’t know or care about, and we 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 seemed natural to weave in other fascinating or important issues, all of which play an important in photosynthesis somehow. As a result, the following structure evolved: part 1 looks at the process of photosynthesis from within the leaf, digging into the intricate details; part 2 dives into light and what it is; and part 3 looks at the human-scale issues and our relationship with trees and plants.
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.
SOURCES, INSPIRATION 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. My project has attempted to distill what I found to be the most accessible and fascinating parts of the process, but I think these books and videos are excellent. I found Craig Savage’s series of five YouTube videos particularly good at explaining it. Check them out here.
The Secret Life Of Trees, by Colin Tudge
Eating The Sun, by Oliver Morton
Trees, by Roland Ennos
The Emerald Planet, by David Beerling (and BBC TV series ‘How to grow a planet’)
Photosynthesis, by Isaac Asimov
Brilliant Green, by Stefano Mancuso & Alessandro Viola
Who Really Feeds The World, by Vandana Shiva
The Triumph of Seeds, by Thor Hanso
A Cabaret Of Plants, by Richard Mabey
Molecular Mechanics of Photosynthesis, by Robert E Blankenship
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
Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History, by Camille T. Dungy
Craig Savage photosynthesis videos on YouTube
Bozeman Science Biology videos by Paul Andersen on YouTube
Khan Academy lessons on photosynthesis
thesideshoots.com 