Hypothetically speaking, what alterations to our biology/genome would need to occur in order for us to be able to safely drink saltwater? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by 58008@lemmy.world to c/askscience@lemmy.world

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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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[-] arthur@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 year ago

Probably need to make sure that the salt is being contained to the farm area, and I'd imagine you would need to periodically flush it with fresh water or something if too much salt begins to accumulate in the soil for even your salt tolerant crops.

That seems hard to manage. And there is also the risk of that salt to reach underground water. I would say that it's feasible to do it right, but at a high cost.

Hydroponics seems more manageable IMO.

this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023

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