In the process of photosynthesis, plants turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into nutrients and produce the oxygen that is also necessary for human life. It might be interesting what would happen if people had the ability to photosynthesis. It may sound tempting and noticeably; however, being a plant is not so simple. Below, the discussion on the possibility of people being photosynthetic will be provided.
If humans had to photosynthesize, they would need chloroplasts, which would lead to the green color of our skin. Then, plants convert only 5–9% of the available power from the sun’s rays; they evolved broad leaves to gain maximum from rays hitting chloroplasts. If to compare them with human skin, the latter is entirely inefficient in this regard as it is a thick layer of dead cells.
Hence, for people, the skin is the organ to change to become photosynthetic. It does not allow enough carbon dioxide to get to the human body. Thus, humans would need to be about a hundred times more porous. It might be assumed that photosynthesis is not an appropriate option for people.
To sum everything up, chloroplasts are an essential element to add to a human body to be photosynthetic. The leaves of plants are flat, which allows them to gain enough solar energy. It contrasts with human skin that is not suitable for the latter process. Moreover, it should be a lot more porous in order to contribute to the impossible photosynthesis of humans and allow getting enough carbon dioxide.