Photosynthetic YOU!
Picture a world where you skip lunch, step outside, and let your skin soak up a meal from the sun. In this episode we explore that fanciful scenario. Along the way you'll learn how plants first got the power of photosynthesis. You'll also meet a tiny pond creature that pulled off the same trick, and sea slugs that steal the sunlight-catching parts of the plants they eat. Come on in and soak it up.
Inspired by "In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life" by Carolyn Y. Johnson, The New York Times, September 26, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/science/motel-science-discovery.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K1E.PMvH.mOL5vDwh9qP4&smid=url-share
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When she's not studying zombie fungus at Harvard or helping us break the universe every week, our very own Gaby Paniccia writes science fiction. Her short story "The Automatic Grocery Store" is now featured on the popular podcast Escape Pod! Listen here: https://escapepod.org/2026/02/19/escape-pod-1033-the-automatic-grocery-store/
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Philip, Matt & Gaby
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