But for one atom in our hemoglobin we people could have been a grape vine or some other chlorophyll producing plant. Read on.

We had an interesting vineyard experience that led us at JARVIS to this genetic insight. We noticed in some years our Merlot failed to “set” grapes. There would be a nice blooming period but then only an exceedingly loose cluster or none at all. This proved to be caused by a shortage of magnesium in the soil. This experience led us to wonder why magnesium was so critical to our plants and we finally found an answer in recent DNA evidence which was a revelation to me.

The big function of a grape leaf is to capture the sunlight, add hydrogen from ground water and carbon from carbon dioxide (in the air) to create sugar which goes to the grapes. This chlorophyl action is carried out by a very complex protein consisting of 574 amino acids in two pairs of chains. And imagine, at the center of this complex protein is one atom of magnesium. No wonder plants need magnesium, exactly one atom for each chlorophyll protein of which there are countless numbers in a plant. And these magnesium atoms must be renewed each year.

But the true revelation to me is that this very complex chlorophyll protein is identical to the hemoglobin protein in people, except our hemoglobin has an atom of iron instead of an atom of magnesium. How close we people came to being a plant. The hemoglobin molecule resides in our blood stream and carries life giving oxygen to all our body cells. People with low hemoglobin are anemic and must take iron supplements. And, likewise, low functioning grapevines must take their magnesium supplements. That is why I say people are like grape vines.