Do Plants Know the Secrets of Quantum Solar Power?

In the past few years a few articles have been written regarding some pretty fascinating discoveries. Plants use sunlight to photosynthesize, a process where they absorb energy from the photons and use it to grow. This process is complex and involves cells that sense light, filter it and other cells that then actually digest the energy. Until recently scientists believed that the filtering occured randomly and that efficiency was a byproduct of the amount of light hitting the plants. The following articles dig more deeply into this new insight, quantum photosynthesis.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/quantum-photosynthesis/

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/07/leafy-green-physics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

If you don't wish to spend your time reading, here is a brief synopsis.
In quantum mechanics there is one simple principle about light, wave-particle duality. This principle supposes that light acts as both a particle and a wave, and that wave has a probablility associated with it, in other words, they particle has a certain probability of being observed in a certain location. When I say observed, I actually mean observed, for a certain scientist, Heisenberg came up with a theory that backs Richard Feynman's theories about light. When we observe a particle its probability function condenses to 1 path, thus we see light moving in a fixed trajectory, as if it is a particle.

So if you have lost things a bit here let me try to bring it all back. Plants do something amazing, when a photon hits the receptor cells, instead of condensing into a single particle, it is able to pass through as a wave, the plant then picks the optimal path of the particle to achieve the best energy absorption. Once the path is picked, the other possible paths decay and the photon is absorbed by the cell that can retain the most energy.

If you are still confused here is the super simple, plants are extremely efficient at collecting light. So efficient in fact that quantum physicists aren't really sure how they do it. Unlocking this mystery might allow us to create ultra efficient solar panels, and possibly new ways of transferring information using light.

GO PLANTS!

Gates et al try to focus government attention on energy

I can't tell you how many times I have looked at the budget for the US and wanted to throw up and send it in a bag to Congress. Currently the US spends under $5 billion on energy research yet we dump over $80 billion into the defense department. Now I'm not saying that we should stop defense spending, however there is an obvious problem here. Bill Gates and friends have created a group that is lobbying to triple the governments spending on energy technology but I think we can do better.

The US is responsible for the proliferation of nuclear technology and we fuel the hatred and warring nature of other countries by constantly boosting and flaunting our defense and weapons systems. Its like a god damn dick showing contest with these generals, whoever has the most destructive weapons, the fastest jets, the largest troop size is obviously doing a great thing for the US and society at large.

Seriously what the fuck is that?! Stop developings things to kill people, lets just protect ourselves then we will project a positive attitude and take the higher road. I believe that we don't have to fight fire with fire, instead we should do what the firefighters do and battle the flames of terrorism with the cooling waters of peace and progress. I envision a world where energy and food is free and diseminated across the globe; a world where instead of splitting atoms to conquer lands we split atoms to fuel the energy grid; a world where the air is fresh no matter where you are and nature flourishes with our advances.

Technology is a powerful tool and in the wrong hands it can do horrible things. I beleive that as a whole our species is good and that if we band together and fight the evil doers by making good technology that some day things wont be about weapons and soldiers. Some day we will look back at these times as dark ages where man fell prey to greed; then there was a turning point and human kind lifted itself up and proved to themselves that when we decide to do something we can accomplish any task.

I hope that if you are reading this that you share my thoughts and on a certain level agree with my scope for the future. This world will be a better place, but it won't just happen. So if you read this and you care, start helping NOW! Its really simple, just talk to your friends and family, get people thinking about what it means to be human and how we fit into our delicate planet. When the time comes you must be ready to act without fear and without hesitation because opposition will come but always remember: The light shines in the darkness...