Re: Colors of alien plants -- Scientific American

Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article
<e23609e6-0d04-41c2-b8af-8498a556892b@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> Brian Davis  <brdavis@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> On Mar 30, 8:24=A0pm, "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>> The April issue of Scientific American has an article on
>>> astronomical including what light would be used for
>>> photosynthesis on planets of various star-types...
>> Curious. What are they basing this on? Things like "take advantage of
>> frequency where the tensity is the greatest" (green, for our Sun...
>> oops, looks like evolution missed that)? It would seem so much depends
>> on what first photoactive pigment gets fixed into the system that
>> there's an awful lot of good old evolutionary luck in there. Not to
>> mention there's going to be some frequencies that biology would have
>> intense trouble tapping (it's tough to fix energy when the incoming
>> energy is enough to break covalent bonds, for instance).
>>
>> What's your take on it - worth the read, or reha****ng the wrong?
>>
>>> and what the plants might look like.
>> It does sound interesting, especially when I teach biophysics again.
> 
> Yup, some neat pictures.  Hal was reading it as we sat at the
> laundromat this afternoon.  I'll get hold of the SciAm in a day
> or two.
> 
> (I was reading a Miss Silver whodunit, if anyone cares.)
> 

Just googled on her, never having heard of her before.  I am 
partial to old-school whodunits and shall now be keeping an eye 
out for one of these -- though it appears she caught on much 
better in the US, for some reason.  Thanks.


Cheers,


Gray