this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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Could we, in theory, use something like CRISPR to give a new baby replacement super-kidneys (or whatever organ it is that makes drinking saltwater be a bad time)? It seems like if we cracked that, we'd be set as a species.

Thanks for your time.

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[–] nezbyte@lemmy.world 67 points 2 years ago (15 children)

According to this article, a longer loop of Henle in the kidney could be the secret to what allows some mammals to drink sea water.

For reference on why we didn’t evolve this naturally, this Stack Exchange answer suggests that most land animals live near fresh water.

[–] alvvayson@lemmy.world 38 points 2 years ago (13 children)

This is the best answer.

Also, we need a lot of freshwater for our food (plants and animals). The amount we personally use for drinking is neglible.

It would solve nothing.

Now, if we could grow something like corn or soy with salt water... That would be a game changer.

On the other hand, we already have the technology to desalinate water. It's mostly a cost and energy issue, not a technology issue.

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

There are some plants that already grow in seawater, perhaps one way to achieve that effect might be to go about it the other way round, and try to breed or engineer one of these plants into something that can be used as a staple crop? Some quick wiki searching suggests to me that a few species of such plants are edible, though most I could find are so as vegetable type plants and not used like corn or potatoes or such. I did find reference to a salt tolerant plant that can be grown for cooking oil though.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

And start farming the seabed to devastate even more ecosystems? I don't think so. The best solution is actually to have less people. Better use the CRISPR to create some fun viruses.

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 1 points 2 years ago

I wasn't referring to seaweed on the seabed, I was referring to land plants that grow in seawater. I figure that these kind of plants could be relevant in places like coastal deserts, since seawater is more available than fresh in such places, or in areas that have suffered from severe saltwater intrusion or which become partially flooded by seawater due to sea level rise.

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