To save humanity, scientists are developing alternative foodstuffs that can be grown without sunlight.
The threat of nuclear war is slowly becoming a reality again. Scientists modeling the consequences of the Third World War have come to the conclusion that the main lethal factor will not be the missiles with nuclear warheads themselves, although their explosion will instantly destroy several hundred million people. The consequences of a nuclear winter will be far more dire. A dense layer of soot trapped in the atmosphere from burnt cities will close the Sun for 5-10 years. It will be impossible to engage in traditional agriculture and this will lead to the death of several billion people from hunger. According to calculations, after five years of nuclear winter - that is, by the time the Sun "works" again at full capacity, only 10 percent of the current population will remain on the planet.
There are two ways to avoid this sinister scenario. Or create food supplies for a period of 5 years or more (the current stocks for mankind will be enough for about a year). Or develop technologies for growing alternative food products, which do not require sunlight to produce. David Denkenberger from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks (USA) and his colleagues believe that the second path may leave humanity a small chance of salvation.
- There are several options for the development of the situation after the nuclear Apocalypse, - said Dr. Denkenberger. - Under a favorable scenario, the world will still retain a free market, global trade, a system of lending and information exchange. The worst case involves the collapse of world trade, a war of all against all, the collapse of state infrastructure and the rise of banditry. In this case, the chances that civilization will survive are slim. We made calculations according to the first optimistic scenario, which assumes only partial destruction of modern society.
How can humanity survive in a nuclear winter?
1. Marine resources
Even in weak sunlight, algae in the ocean will grow vigorously, which means that the food base for fish will remain. And this is still one of the main power sources. At the moment, people get from 13.8% to 16.5% of animal protein by ingesting fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Therefore, a fish diet will be the easiest way to switch to alternative foods.
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2. Processing wood for food
Forests dying without sunlight will leave a huge amount of wood. Our digestive tract is not adapted to consume cellulose. However, sawdust is an excellent breeding ground for growing mushrooms that can be eaten directly. In addition, wood can be used to feed ruminants (eg cows, sheep, goats, etc.), as well as rats and beetles. I must say, and today there are farms for the cultivation of forage insects, In particular, mealworms are used as food for pets. But in the event of a nuclear catastrophe, we will not go anywhere - we will have to devour the worms ourselves, with a mask and mice so that it will pop behind our ears. It's better than being cannibalistic. And most importantly, it is cheap and nutritious: the cost of a kilogram of a mealworm is only $ 5 per kilogram (about 300 rubles),and the nutritional value is 2060 kcal / kg. This is actually the daily rate for a person. For comparison, the energy value of a kilogram of wheat flour is 3640 kcal, and a kilogram of sardines - 2080. And also, sugar can be obtained from wood chemically. This will sweeten our life a little after the aforementioned “delicacies”.
3. Extract from dead leaves and food from bacteria
Experiments have shown that nutrient biomass can be obtained by processing fallen leaves. The output is a flour-like nutrient at a cost of about $ 6 per kilogram. In addition, experiments with bacteria that feed on methane gas have shown good results. As a result of processing, a completely edible substance is obtained in the form of a white crystalline powder.
- In our opinion, the most promising alternative food products are just the cheapest: these are methane-assimilating bacteria, cellulose sugar, sardines and Tibetan wheat, which is now capable of producing crops during a short summer in conditions of low CO2 concentration and high ultraviolet radiation, concluded David Denkenberger … - After all, the key condition for the preservation of civilization will be the price of food. At a price of $ 2.5 per kilogram of dry carbohydrates (this is a conventional unit, it is considered that to get the vital 2100 calories per day, you need to eat 520 grams of dry carbohydrates - Red), 97 percent of the population will survive. If the cost rises to $ 8 per kilogram, 70 percent of the population will be saved from starvation, which is more than 4 billion lives.
Denkenberger believes that the governments of the largest countries should already develop an action plan in the event of an apocalypse. Although such preparations may mean that politicians are subconsciously preparing themselves to take an insane step that threatens us with destruction.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV