11 November 2018 - energy resources

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A String of Causes

If you are a plant, your photosynthesis is only 1% efficient, and yet energy is your cheapest resource. That is why cellulose is made of sugar, which is why wood burns so well, which is how we evolved to cook our food, which is how we garner enough energy to grow big brains, because if you are an animal, energy is an expensive resource. Do you imagine that we can guess what space aliens might be like?

clue:

I conclude that photosynthesis can afford to be only 1% efficient because energy remains a cheap resource: Photosynthesis need not be optimized for efficiency beyond a point, but for minimum use of other resources.

take oh take this clue away

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