• Question: would it be possible to make human made plant ?

    Asked by anon-181171 on 4 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Liza Selley

      Liza Selley answered on 4 Jun 2018:


      Hi Ghost03,

      Yes kind of….

      Lots of the plants that we have in our garden have been ‘selectively bred’ by humans. If we want a bright pink flower with yellow spots for example, gardeners will select the plants that have the brightest and the spottiest petals to create seeds from. When these seeds have grown, the gardener will look again for the brightest and spottiest flowers to make more seeds with. Over time, all of the gardener’s flowers will become very bright and very spotty because the dull and plain ones are not getting the chance to make seeds.

      Genetically modified plants are also available. Scientists figure out which part of a plant’s DNA gives it nice flavour or helps it to grow in harsh environments. They inject that DNA into plants that don’t naturally have it to make them taste or grow better.

      What kind of plant would you make? I’d like one with huuuuuge leaves that I can sit in like a hammock and yummy fruit to eat while I relax. It would also be spider repellent 🙂

    • Photo: Claudia Bonfio

      Claudia Bonfio answered on 5 Jun 2018:


      Just to add something to what Liza said, it could also be possible (in a not too far future) to build something “artificial” that works as a plant, without being a plant… Something that can do photosynthesis, for example, and can be used to produce energy =)

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