Charles C. Mann Quote

To overcome rubisco’s lassitude and maladroitness, plants make a lot of it. As much as half of the protein in many plant leaves, by weight, is rubisco—it is often said to be the world’s most abundant protein. One estimate is that plants and microorganisms contain more than eleven pounds of rubisco for every person on Earth. The biological chain seems clear: more nitrogen ⇒ more rubisco ⇒ more photosynthesis ⇒ more plant growth ⇒ more food from farms.

Charles C. Mann

To overcome rubisco’s lassitude and maladroitness, plants make a lot of it. As much as half of the protein in many plant leaves, by weight, is rubisco—it is often said to be the world’s most abundant protein. One estimate is that plants and microorganisms contain more than eleven pounds of rubisco for every person on Earth. The biological chain seems clear: more nitrogen ⇒ more rubisco ⇒ more photosynthesis ⇒ more plant growth ⇒ more food from farms.

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About Charles C. Mann

Charles C. Mann (born 1955) is an American journalist and author, specializing in scientific topics. In 2006 his book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus won the National Academies Communication Award for best book of the year. He is the co-author of four books, and contributing editor for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired.