This could allow people to turn photosynthesis on or off to generate oxygen, or tell the plants to produce a new plastic or drug. Team member Ray Wheeler, who works on the Advanced Life Support Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, says that another intriguing option might be shifting plants' output from standard carbohydrates to an oil, for instance. This would increase their CO2 demands without raising oxygen output, allowing colonists to fine-tune the atmosphere. Team member Eric Davies, a plant physiologist at North Carolina State University, says we should remember that plants already have extensive communication skills. When bugs start to munch on their leaves, for instance, they can use chemical, electrical and other means to warn the rest of their anatomy to begin producing a repellent.
Some plants can send warnings to other individuals.
They also detect and respond to changes in light levels, such as those associated with season shifts. Plants react to these various signals by turning genes on and off, which is exactly what the NIAC team wants to do. Sending these instructions would have to be done remotely if bionic plants were part of an advance party for a human colony. If a human colony were relying on plants for food, air and water, it's safe to say that there would be a deep and abiding interest in their health. Plants could be fitted with sensors for vital indicators of health, such as pH, or for early-warning signals such as superoxides, which many plants produce in response to pathogens, wounds and other insults.