Okay, you know how they always say "Hey, don't litter because that plastic will take 500 years to decompose!" Well, what if we could use that to our advantage? Imagine an (for example) apple seed sealed air-tight in a plastic shell. If you buried that seed, is it possible that in 500 years (or however long it actually is) the plastic will have fully decomposed and the seed will sprout into an apple tree? (Perhaps when life on earth is extinct?) It could be a way to start up the ecosystem once all life perishes somehow. Odds are, earth will one day end up like Mars is now: Barren and full of Carbon Dioxide. If a plant is planted in this environment, believe it or not, it could thrive. Plants consume Carbon Dioxide and release oxygen. The only problems are water, and whether seeds expire after a certain amount of time. What does everyone think?
thats interesting, you wight want want to get a patent on that idea before microsoft steals it i will do some research and get back to you
Very original... Very smart... Kinda like a stasis of somesort with its timelimit based on the decomposition of the material you encase the seed in. Remember though, it will slowly deteriorate... not just disappear one day to fully expose the seed. Develop it. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Later T
I wonder if seeds can really last that long. Actually, there was such a natural occurence, with pollen grains found inside insects trapped inside amber. Angiosperms have pretty highly evolved seeds, so it's not too bad of an idea... I think I'll try doing just that sometime - fusing a thick polyethylene membrane around several hundred dry apple seeds, and then burying them deep into the ground.
Not a bad idea, but it is unlikely that the plastic coating would decompose in a uniform manner. What would most likely happen is after a year or two the plastic would crack and the seed would sprout up through it.
Well that's something new. As long as we don't somehow ruin the soil if we ourselves cause life to go extinct on Earth, it's something to think about.
Good point. I suppose I'll seal it very well and bury it underground, where the soil prevents UV light from damaging the physical properties of the plastic, so it remains pliable and hopefully decays over millions of years in the soil while the seed is still intact.
Well, some seeds are viable for 1000's of years. For example in Japan a previously extinct magnolia was sprouted from a partially fossilized magnolia branch in I beleive in the early 50's ? I am however not 100% sure on this.. Usually seeds have a life of no more than a few years.