This may seem like an odd blog. Recently I did a Science course and this was one of the assignments.  The requirement was to show people, and include some basic scientific evidence, why the Sun is Essential to Life on Earth.  This is my spin on that question…

We wake up on overcast days and feel sad that the sun isn’t shining, and do you notice it is always cooler on these days! Whereas when we wake up and the sun is shining our mood is lifted. The enjoyment of being outside with the warmth of the sun on your skin.

We take the sun for granted. How often do you stop to think about the importance of the sun?

Think about what you had for dinner last night…

I had a beautifully barbequed rib eye steak, mashed potato, a salad of rocket, pear, walnuts and parmesan cheese, all enjoyed with a glass of fine Hunter Valley Shiraz.

Ok let’s break it down…but first we need to take a quick trip back to biology class… for this meal to exist we need photosynthesis.  Photosynthesis is the energy from the sun creating a chemical reaction with the chlorophyll in the green plants. The energy from the sun is absorbed into the chlorophyll in the plants. This energy ‘splits the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen’. The carbon dioxide which the plants absorb is joined by the hydrogen, which makes sugar, this is the food for the plant. The oxygen is released from the plants into the air, which is what all animals need to breath and stay alive.

Ok back to dinner…all the fruits, vegetables and nuts rely on the sun to create photosynthesis for them to grow. To be able to eat the beautiful steak, the cow needs to eat grass. Cows are herbivores meaning they only eat plants, so for the cow to grow it also relies on the plants photosynthesis. This brings us to the parmesan cheese and milk and butter in the mashed potato. All the dairy products start with milk bringing us back to our cow. The cow needs to eat the grass to produce the milk to produce the dairy.

Without the sun, we would not survive. Without the sun there would be no plant life, meaning for some there would be no food source. Without the sun, we would be in complete darkness and the temperature would be to cold for us to exist.

So next time you are outside feeling the warmth of the sun, while enjoying a Sunday meal with friends. Just take a little time to appreciate what that light in the sky really provides us with.

References:

http://www.realtrees4kids.org/sixeight/letseat.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_uez5WX1o