Reconstructed ancient plant protein should help crops counter the ongoing rise in global temperatures, says Cornell University plant biologist.
Although ancestral Rubiscos operated in a hot and high carbon dioxide-rich environment, they had time to adapt to that environment, says Gunn. And when the Earth slowly cooled, the Rubiscos adapted to that environment as well, causing them to lose their ability to perform better at higher temperatures.
Except for parasitic plants, all plants are dependent on Rubisco to produce carbohydrate precursors, says Gunn. Rubisco “fixes” CO2 into carbohydrates that organisms can use as a source of energy, she says. Every carbon atom in our bodies has at some point been “fixed” by a plant and incorporated into our bodies by either eating that plant, or an animal that ate that plant, says Gunn.
This is not a quick fix; we are trying to implement lessons from millions of years of evolution within a single human lifetime, says Gunn. We will have proof of concept in tobacco plants within five years, she says. Then it will need to be translated to crops, which could take another five to ten years, says Gunn.
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