Reply To: The recent "discovery" of Dark Matter

[Warwick]

Brian H wrote: As for farming, there are many ways to skin that carrot; check out urban hi-rise farms, e.g. And FF power makes all sorts of other models viable.

I looked into it. Hydroponics, interesting as it is as a curiosity, has some significant issues as a replacement for soil-based farming. You may be supposing that the nutrient chemicals will be recycled indefinitely but in my experience of growing plants in water, that’s definitely not what happens. Algal growth is inevitable and you periodically have to refresh the water. Plants that grow without access to minerals, do not represent a source of those minerals for humans. What about bees? Are they going to have everything they need to survive on in the building? Do we even know what that is, they’re monstrously fiddly creatures to manage (as certain countries are finding out, thanks to Roundup Ready). It could be an idea with a future, but it’s never going to replace what we basically need – soil-grown crops, grown organically and sustainably.