00:00In the mountains of Mexico, there is an ancient variety of corn, twice as large as the average
00:06country, and which has amazing aerial roots.
00:10These roots produce a mucus that could revolutionize agriculture and finally make obsolete all
00:16its chemical products.
00:18The inhabitants have been growing this mysterious corn for more than 2,000 years and have passed
00:23on this tradition from generation to generation.
00:28A scientist in Oaxaca heard about this gigantic cereal and decided to examine it more closely.
00:34When he finally saw it, he could not believe his eyes.
00:37The plant seemed to have come out of a myth, reaching 4 to 5 meters in height, with curious
00:42outgrowths sprouting from its stems.
00:46And, hold on tight, this one was dripping with a thick viscous substance, acting like
00:52a self-fertilizer.
00:54No need to add artificial fertilizers.
00:59This is of paramount importance, because most cereals cannot regulate their own nitrogen
01:04levels, which forces farmers to sprinkle them with fertilizers rich in this element.
01:09Not only does this harm the environment, but it is also expensive.
01:13But with this new corn mucus, we could solve a systemic problem of our food supply.
01:19It is like a biological pass-through that could revolutionize agriculture as we know it.
01:26This super plant is called the Holotone corn.
01:29It was a well-kept secret for the rest of Mexico until the 1980s, and it took another 30 years
01:35for a team of researchers to take a serious look at this exceptional corn.
01:39They knew they would need the help of local communities, and therefore set up a laboratory
01:44on site.
01:46This corn secretes a mucus that contains bacteria capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen
01:52into a form that can be assimilated by the plant.
01:55This means that it can draw 80% of its nitrogen from the air, which makes it the Holy Grail
02:00of agriculture.
02:03But of course, some people had to spoil the party by disputing the rights of this
02:07prodigious corn.
02:09This is called biopiracy, and it is completely unacceptable.
02:13The indigenous peoples, who have been perpetuating this form of agriculture for centuries, claim
02:17that it is not just a simple plant, but a part of their culture and heritage.
02:22Unfortunately, Holotone corn is not yet widely exploited, because it does not meet modern
02:28industrial standards.
02:30However, scientists are trying to crossbreed it with other varieties to combine the qualities.
02:36They have already reduced its growth time by half and increased nitrogen absorption by
02:4140%.
02:42But they estimate that it will still take a few more generations to obtain a more or
02:46less stable hybrid corn.
02:50Imagine if we could use atmospheric nitrogen for other cereals like rice or wheat.
02:55This would significantly reduce our need for artificial fertilizers, which harm our
03:00environment.
03:01It is incredible to think that a little-known corn, taken from the misty mountains of Mexico,
03:06could help fight hunger in the world.
03:08This demonstrates the crucial importance of diversity for our survival.
03:14Speaking of plants that could help us survive in the future, did you know that Mars could
03:19be ideal for the culture of green leaf vegetables?
03:22The soil there is rich in iron, which means that our favorite green vegetables could
03:27thrive there.
03:28And with a future on Earth that seems increasingly uncertain, it is not so easy to start
03:33considering other planets where we could live.
03:36But, unfortunately, most of the planets are too hot to allow life.
03:40Seriously, Venus can reach up to 480 degrees.
03:43It is more than enough to melt lead.
03:46But Mars is different.
03:48Although it is a cold desert today, billions of years ago it was covered with water and
03:53perhaps even with life.
03:55Scientists are already studying which plants could grow on Martian soil.
03:59And it turns out that lettuce, onions, chaff, peas, garlic, and even peas
04:06Yes, these bad herbs from your garden could all potentially survive there.
04:11Spinach is another option, thanks to all this iron present in the soil.
04:16Who knows?
04:17Maybe one day we will all gnaw on Martian micro-thumbs, if the holotone corn cannot
04:22meet all our needs?
04:26Another great vegetable that could help us in the future is bamboo.
04:30While countries like China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are
04:36crazy about these delicious bamboo shoots, they are also very popular in the islands.
04:41In Bangladesh, we even find a traditional bamboo-based dish.
04:46No wonder it is nicknamed the king of vegetables.
04:49It is delicious and full of health benefits.
04:52In addition, a half cup would contain up to 11% of your daily potassium needs.
04:59If you have the chance to come across fresh bamboo shoots, look for those that are firm
05:03and heavy, with a wide base.
05:05And do not let them turn green.
05:07This means that they have been exposed to the sun for too long and will have a bitter taste.
05:12If you feel adventurous, you can even harvest your own shoots.
05:16In Hawaii, for example.
05:18But bamboo is not limited to food.
05:21It offers many other advantages.
05:23It is the plant that grows the fastest on earth.
05:27Some types of bamboo can grow one meter in one day.
05:30That is, more than two centimeters per hour on average.
05:34Bamboo is also durable and renewable because it spreads very quickly.
05:39A bamboo forest grows much faster than an ordinary tree forest.
05:43Which makes it a kind of prodigy of the plant kingdom.
05:47Some studies also indicate that bamboo can produce up to 35% more oxygen than a coniferous forest.
05:54And guess what?
05:55It can replace wood in almost all uses.
05:58There are thousands of bamboo products that are just as efficient as their tree counterparts.
06:03We are talking about paper, soil coatings, musical instruments, furniture, building materials.
06:10Whatever you can imagine, in short, bamboo can take care of it.
06:17Let's move on to a serious subject.
06:19According to British researchers, we exploit only a small part of the potential of plants.
06:24Let's talk about super plants first.
06:26Did you know that the vegetables in your plate were once ordinary plants?
06:30However, in nature, there are particularly robust plants that have developed a resistance to all kinds of parasites and diseases.
06:38The selectors work to cross these wild specimens with our domestic cultures,
06:43making them all the more resistant, but not without preserving all the advantages that we appreciate.
06:48It is a global effort, with countries like Brazil, China and India at the forefront.
06:54And with a world population supposed to exceed 9 billion, these super plants could really save lives.
07:02Then comes the list of medicinal plants.
07:05We have known for centuries that plants can heal us.
07:08But are we really the best part?
07:10There are more than 2,800 species of medicinal plants.
07:14But less than 16% of them are actually used in medicine.
07:18It's crazy!
07:19This industry weighs several billion, and countries like Germany are already plagiarizing plant-based remedies.
07:25But we have to be careful.
07:27Now let's talk about steroid-based bananas.
07:30Well, not exactly.
07:32But did you know that we could actually make bananas bigger and tastier?
07:36By altering their genes, which does not seem to pose a problem to our neighbors in the Atlantic,
07:41scientists can create bananas that are resistant to diseases and parasites,
07:45capable of growing in rougher climates.
07:48This means a much better yield.
07:52But don't worry too much.
07:54Because fire is actually a natural process in some ecosystems.
07:58Scientists are working to identify the family of plants capable of resisting fires,
08:03in order to create more resilient forests.
08:06These plants could even be used to make fire.
08:09But we don't know for sure.
08:11We don't know for sure.
08:13We don't know for sure.
08:15We don't know for sure.
08:17We don't know for sure.
08:19We don't know for sure.
08:21We don't know for sure.
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08:25We don't know for sure.
08:27We don't know for sure.
08:29We don't know for sure.
08:31We don't know for sure.
08:33We don't know for sure.
08:35We don't know for sure.
08:37We don't know for sure.
08:39We don't know for sure.
08:41We don't know for sure.
08:43We don't know for sure.
08:45We also tell incredible stories about the quinquina.
08:49For example, have you ever heard of these sick lions that eat up the bark?
08:54Or this ferocious lion that drank from a pond where quinquina bark was soaked
08:58and was instantly healed?
09:00But let's be realistic.
09:02These legends are probably just trying to embellish an already fascinating story.
09:06In any case, the quinquina is a real hero.
09:09And all heroes don't necessarily wear a cape.
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