How to Grow a Planet was a fascinating Netflix find this weekend. In this three part documentary, Dr. Ian Stewart reveals how plants, not animals, are the real designers of our planet. The air, the soil, the climate have all been shaped by plants over the last 400 million years ago to suit their evolutionary needs. We, the animals, just happen to survive on the by-products of plants’ complex energy conversion mechanism. We feed on photosynthesized carbohydrates and breathe oxygen that plants release.
Plants are complex creatures that haven’t been given their full due. I suspect that this documentary will be just the beginning of my study of the botanical world.
Here are some of my favorite clips from the show.
Photosynthesis
Flowers in UV Light
Rainforest in a Cave
Purposeful Meander 