01-19-2021, 10:53 AM
As others said, photosynthesis is not enough to sustain an animal due to the much higher metabolic energy requirementes.
Still, I'd like to point that the photosynthesis of natural plants goes up to just a mere 4% in the C4 plants,which employs a biological shuttle to concentrate the CO2 near the pockets that contain the CO2 fixing enzymes. A solar panel is up to 20%.
The efficiency of the parts of the photosynthetic systems is quite high but you have a lot of loss here and there, here a list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency
Overall, even mantaining a humanoid form, the surface area in particula, I presume that a good hyperturing total reworking of a modosophont could somewhat allow that, if it's possible to both increase brutally the photosynthetic efficiency and reduce energy consumption (e.g.: increase the efficiency of the muscle and nerve transmission). Still good luck staing alive during the night...
Whitout hyperturing I guess there is no way to achieve it.
Anyway, if you need to do this in any period of OA you are in big troubles or you have been memed to hell
Still, I'd like to point that the photosynthesis of natural plants goes up to just a mere 4% in the C4 plants,which employs a biological shuttle to concentrate the CO2 near the pockets that contain the CO2 fixing enzymes. A solar panel is up to 20%.
The efficiency of the parts of the photosynthetic systems is quite high but you have a lot of loss here and there, here a list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetic_efficiency
Overall, even mantaining a humanoid form, the surface area in particula, I presume that a good hyperturing total reworking of a modosophont could somewhat allow that, if it's possible to both increase brutally the photosynthetic efficiency and reduce energy consumption (e.g.: increase the efficiency of the muscle and nerve transmission). Still good luck staing alive during the night...
Whitout hyperturing I guess there is no way to achieve it.
Anyway, if you need to do this in any period of OA you are in big troubles or you have been memed to hell