Why Humans Cant Live Off Sunlight

Why Humans Cant Live Off Sunlight

By ReadWorks

In2013,aresidentofSeattle,Washington,namedNaveenaShinedecidedthatshewould
embarkonanexperiment.Shinehadbecomefascinatedwithphotosynthesis,theprocessby
which plants are able to make their own food using sunlight. Sunlight contains a significant
amountofenergy,whichplantsareabletousetoconvertwater,carbondioxide,andminerals
intooxygenandorganiccompounds,includingnutrientslikeglucose.Shinereasonedthatthe
humanbody,ifforcedto,coulddothesamething.SoShinesetouttotestherhypothesis.In
May,shedeclaredthat,forthenextsixmonths,shewouldnoteatfood.Instead,shewouldlimit
herdiettoonlysunlight,water,andtea.
Shine saw her experiment as an important moment in human history, perhaps even a
next step in the evolutionary process. On her website, she outlined the many potential
advantagesofhumansbeingabletoproducetheirownfoodfromsunlight:peoplewouldnot
havetoworkashardtoearnmoneytobuyfood;insteadofcookingandshopping,theywould
have more time to do other things, and many of the earths natural resources used in the
productionandpreparationoffoodwouldbesavedforfuturegenerations.Andwhywouldnt
itwork?
Plantsliveonlight,andthenweeatplants,sheconcluded.Arewesimplynotaccessing
ourinherentabilitytoliveonlight?
Shinealsoclaimedthatseveralpeoplehadsuccessfullylivedonlightbeforeher.Shecited
aGermanchemistnamedMichaelWerner,whoclaimstohaveeatennofoodsince2001,and
EllenGreve,anAustralianspiritual leaderknown toherfollowersasJasmuheenwhosaid
shehadnottouchedamealsince1993.(Theseclaimswereneverproventrue.)Toprovethat
shewasnotsneakingfoodtoeat,Shinesaidshewouldsetupeightvideocamerasinhertrailer
torecordhereverymovement.OnMay3,2013,withherpredecessorsinmind,Shinebegan
herexperiment.
Theresultsweredramatic,althoughperhapsnotinthewayShinehadplanned.Overthe
nextfive weeks,Shinelost 30pounds,droppingfrom160 poundsto 130.Shefeltweakand
occasionallyhaddifficultystanding.Shereportedthatwhenshewentoutsidetogetherdaily
regimenofsun,herhandswerecold.Shinepredictedthatthiswouldbethemomentwhenher
bodywouldproduceitsownfood.
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Why Humans Cant Live Off Sunlight

Ihavethefeelingmybodyhasreachedapointwhereithasusedupallitsstoredfats,
andisnowlookingaroundforwhattoconsumenext,shewroteonFacebook.Isuspectthis
mightbethepointwhereitdecideseitherfindandhookintothesourcewhereitisabletolive
onlight,orconsumethebodyforsustenance.
Shinesexperimentreceivedalotofcriticism.Manyofherdetractorspointedoutthat,even
ifherhypothesiswasvalid,famouslycloudySeattlemightnothavebeenthebestplacetotestitout.
OnJune19th,after47daysoftheexperiment,Shinecalleditquits.Shehadlost33pounds
andwashavingdifficultiesholdingdownwaterinherstomach.However,Shinedidnotrulethe
experimentafailure.Instead,sheblamedtheearlyterminationonseveralother,morepractical
factors,includingalackoffunds.Shinehadchargedthecamerasinhertrailertohercreditcards.
Shehadexpectedthatvisitorstoherwebsitewoulddonatefundstopayforthecamerasand
sustainherexperiment.However,after45days,shehadreceivedonly$435,forcinghertoleave
her trailer and return to work. She also cited the overwhelmingly negative reaction to her
experimentasanotherreasonforitstermination.
FromthefeedbackIamgetting,shewrote,itisbecomingpatentlyclearthatmostof
theworldisbynomeansreadytoreceivetheinformationIamattemptingtoproduce.
Shine appears to have escaped from the experiment without permanent damage
although she did sustain a steep drop in her weight and some credit card debt. However,
starving yourself can do serious harm to the body and is very dangerous. Others who have
attemptedthesameexperimenthavenotbeensolucky.Atleastfourpeople,inspiredbysimilar
teachings about the nutritional value of sunlight, have died from selfinflicted starvation.
Starvingisdangerousbecausewhenthe bodyisdeprivedofvitalnutrients,itbeginstoshut
downsomeofitsvitalorgans,greatlyincreasingthechancesofillness.Ifdeprivationlastslong
enough,thenthepersoncansustainlonglastinginjuriesorevendie.
WhatwasShinesmistake?Well,shemadeseveral.Mostimportantly,shemisunderstood
how energy is produced in plants versus how its produced in humans. While sunlight does
indeedcontainenergy,onlyplantsareabletorenderthisenergyintoausableform.Dr.Ronald
Hoffman, a clinician and spokesman about health and nutrition, told the UKs Guardian
newspaperthatShinesideasweredelusionalandexplainedhererror.
Plants have what are called chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll, and they have the
ability to capture energy from sunlight, Hoffman said. Humans dont have chlorophyll or
chloroplasts.Nohumansdo.Itisimpossibleforahumantohavethat.
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Why Humans Cant Live Off Sunlight

Achloroplastisastructurethatisabletoproduceaveryspecificchemicalreaction in
whichplantsuselightenergyandcarbondioxidetoproducesugars.Achemicalreactioniswhen
atomsofonesubstancearerearrangedtomakeadifferentsubstance.Duringphotosynthesis,
carbon dioxide atoms the plant draws from the air are split into carbon atoms and oxygen
atoms. The carbon atoms are used by the plant to make sugar, a form of carbohydrate.
(Carbohydratesarecompoundsmadeofcarbon,hydrogen,andoxygen.)Theplantthendiscards
anyoxygenitdoesnotuseasawasteproduct.Thisismuchlikehowhumanbeingsbreatheout
carbondioxideasawasteproductofourownbodilysystem.
The sugars plants produce during photosynthesis are of a form that plants can use to
survive and grow. In this way, the energy that is contained in sunlight is transformed into a
different kind of energy. However, the structures capable of making this transformation
chloroplastsare present only in plants, not humans. When Shine concluded that her
experimentwouldworkbecauseplantsliveonenergyfromthesunandpeopleeatplants,she
wasnotrecognizingthathumansdonoteatsunlight;peopleeatthesugarsthatplantsproduce.
Forexample,ifpeopleeatsweetstrawberries,theyarenoteatingtheenergyfromthesun.They
areeatingakindoffruitsugar,calledfructose,thatthestrawberryplantproduces.IfShinehad
hadabetterunderstandingofphotosynthesisandhowthehumanbodyworks,sheprobably
wouldnothavebelievedherexperimentwouldwork.

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Questions: Why Humans Can't Live Off Sunlight

Name:

Date: _______________________

1. As part of an experiment, what did Naveena Shine limit her diet to?
A
B
C
D

sunlight, water, and tea

sunlight, sugar, and water
sunlight, water, and fruit
water, fruit, and tea

2. This text is organized into two main parts. The first part describes Naveena Shines
experiment and its results. What does the second part mostly describe?
A
B
C
D

how Naveena Shine has reacted to criticism of her experiment

the process by which plants produce energy
the long-term and short-term symptoms of organ failure
the process by which humans extract energy from the plants we eat

3. Even after her experiment, Shine believed that humans could live on sunlight. What
evidence from the text best supports this conclusion?
A What was Shines mistake? Well, she made several. Most importantly, she
misunderstood how energy is produced in plants versus how its produced in
humans.
B So, Shine set out to test her hypothesis. In May, she declared that, for the
next six months, she would not eat food.
C Shine appears to have escaped from the experiment without permanent damage
although she did sustain a steep drop in her weight and some credit card debt.
D Shine did not rule the experiment a failure. Instead, she blamed the early
termination on several other, more practical factors[.]
4. How can the tone of this article best be described?
A
B
C
D

confused and slightly annoyed

explanatory and slightly condescending
sarcastic and very goofy
enthusiastic and excited

5. What is the main idea of this text?

A Many people have claimed to live off only sunlight, but none of these claims
have been proven true.
B Because plants can live off sunlight and water, they are further along in the
evolutionary process than humans.
C A woman tried to live off sunlight like plants do, but failed because humans and
plants produce energy differently.
D Plants produce food through a process called photosynthesis, using sunlight,
water, carbon dioxide, and minerals.
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Questions: Why Humans Can't Live Off Sunlight

6. Read these three quotes from Naveena Shine from the text.
'Plants live on light, and then we eat plants,' she concluded. 'Are we simply not
accessing our inherent ability to live on light?'
'I have the feeling my body has reached a point where it has used up all its stored fats,
and is now looking around for what to consume next,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I suspect
this might be the point where it decides either find and hook into the source where it is
able to live on light, or consume the body for sustenance.'
'From the feedback I am getting,' she wrote, 'it is becoming patently clear that most of
the world is by no means ready to receive the information I am attempting to produce.'
Why might the author have included three quotes from Naveena Shine?
A
B
C
D

to
to
to
to

express the authors agreement with Shines ideas and opinions

share Shines ideas and opinions with the reader directly
show that Naveena Shines conclusions were accurate
suggest that Shine has a better understanding of science than the author

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.

Shines experiment received a lot of criticism. __________, many of her detractors
pointed out that, even if her theory was valid, famously cloudy Seattle might not have
been the best place to test it out.
A
B
C
D

As a result
Meanwhile
However
For example

8. According to the author, how would Shine have acted differently if she had a better
understanding of photosynthesis and how the human body works?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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Questions: Why Humans Can't Live Off Sunlight

9. The author mentions that Shine made several mistakes in her experiment. Describe
one major mistake that Shine made. Support your description with details from the text.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

10. What is the authors opinion of Naveena Shines experiment? Support your answer
with evidence from the text.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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2015 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.