Can a person sustain bodily processed on water and Sunlight?

Question

Question: Would it be possible for the body to absorb photonic energy from the sun and drink water to sustain all it's biological processes? Just as a plant does through photosynthesis.

My thoughts:

Since all fruits and vegetables, as we currently know, store photonic energy as carbohydrates. Which in turn, humans eat [to cultivate energy from] these sources to maintain homeostasis and store unutilized cellular energy as adipose tissue (fat) to to be utilized at a later date.

I believe all things are inter-connected through "The Circle Of Life". That being as it may, from a bioetheric and genetic perspective, then wouldn't it be easier to just get enery directly from the source [The Sun] and drink water to sustain one's self.

What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Why don't you try it?

You might find that your lack of photosynthesising pigments such as chlorophyll will leave you feeling hungry pretty soon.

And plants also get a lot of nutrients from the soil too don't forget.

Answer 2

Don't you think that if that were possible then millions of people across the world over the centuries would not have starved to death?

Incidentally, some other idiot from Australia wrote some idiotic book suggesting that people could live on light. She suggested that all you needed was a bit of vitamin C and a few biscuits every now and again. A woman in Britain believed her and tried it. Eventually her body was found beside a loch in Scotland, she having starved to death. The idiotic Australian author accepted a challenge to try and demonstrate her belief on TV but had to have medical intervention after a few days to save her life because she was starving to death.

Now what are your thoughts? Do you really believe that contrary to all human experience across millions of years, that you have some startling wisdom, insight or knowledge to counter that? Are you really that much wiser than all the doctors and nutritionists that have fought malnutrition over the decades?

Or do you think that what most people simply and instinctively know to be true - that is that if you don't consume food, you die - is actually a fact?

Are you prepared to put your idiotic idea to the test?

I apologise for being rude, but just how obvious does it have to be for you?

Answer 3

That's an invalid comparison.

Plants take up nutrients through their roots. Using these raw materials, they produce their own energy store (i.e. autotrophs).

And yes it's easier to get energy from the source. In each level of the food chain, as you go up, there is a loss of energy spent on whatever the organism that had it needed to do. That's why vegetation can sustain a larger population than meat products.

And the reason why humans aren't autotrophs is because autotrophs cannot move as flexibly, and because we don't have any chlorophyll.

(and as an interesting note, we make vitamin D from sunlight)

Answer 4

no. im afraid we are all ultimately reliant on plants to feed us, even if we are consuming an animal which has itself eaten plants. they are the only organisms which can produce their own food, although humans can manufacture vitamin d through the action of sunlight. i like your idea, but its another reason why we have to look after our plantlife and stop cutting it down. if you try your idea then i would be interested to know how long you lasted before you started to feel a bit faint!

Answer 5

You can live:

About minutes without air.

About 3 days without water

About 30 days without food.

So you will live for about 30 days on sun and water but look at the bright side you will die with a wicked tan and you won't get rickets!

Answer 6

Plants have the ability to absorb energy from the sun because they have chlorophyll. Mammals (which humans are) do not have chlorophyll, so they must consume food to obtain their energy.

Answer 7

Only if you are capable of photosynthesis!