Feeding the Whole World

Photosynthesis turns sunlight into chemical energy through one elegant equation: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light gives C6H12O6 + 6 O2. Carbon dioxide and water go in; glucose and oxygen come out.

The oxygen you are breathing right now came from photosynthesis. The food you ate today was built from sugars this process made. Even the fossil fuels that run civilization are ancient photosynthesis products — concentrated solar energy locked into carbon bonds millions of years ago.