Question

Describe what you might eat for a typical meal if humans, like cyanobacteria, could fix nitrogen.

Short answer

Nitrogen is essential for the production of protein, nucleic acid, and all other life-sustaining compounds on Earth. Even though nitrogen is ubiquitous in the environment, most species cannot utilize it in this form. The role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria is thus important for life on Earth to sustain nitrogen.

The basic human diet will then include food rich in carbohydrates, other carbon sources, and minerals. Thus, humans should consume food with high carbon contents and foods with high minerals along with enough water when acting as cyanobacteria.

Step-by-step solution

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

The nitrogen-fixing bacteria, like the cyanobacteria or rhizobium, could fix the nitrogen present in the atmosphere and convert it into a compound like ammonia, which the plants could use. They have an important role in the nitrogen cycle.

Human diet

A healthy human diet includes food rich in protein, low in carbohydrates, and whole grains and minerals. Humans should consume fruits and vegetables since they are the most nutrient-rich foods available.

If humans act like cyanobacteria

Humans could not normally create proteins from the nitrogen present in the atmosphere to fix nitrogen like cyanobacteria or other nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Thus, when humans behave as cyanobacteria, humans will not eat food rich in protein like milk, beans, meat, or seafood.

Humans would not require protein from their diet if they began fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Instead, they would be able to turn atmospheric nitrogen straight into protein.