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How light can vaporize water without the need for heat | MIT (news.mit.edu)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Makes me wonder if evolution in plants selected green coloration to minimize water loss. Does chlorophyll have to be green? It absorbs light to either side of the spectrum but not green?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The sun's spectrum at the earth surface peaks in the green color range, which should make green the most efficient choice. Although, I wonder why they have to absorb only a single or a narrow band of color.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Producing multiple pigments to absorb more colours is very expensive, and the chemical reactions only take a certain amount of energy, anything beyond is converted into heat (which is bad for water retention).