Why Sweet Potatoes Are Sweet is a BA Thesis that researches the difference between artificial and natural products and where we draw the line between those two categories.

 

It investigates how this line has shifted over time and in response to new scientific knowledge and technologies. Since this distinction does not exist in science but is a culture-based perception, the Thesis explores what the current perception of nature is and wonders if it's possible to artificially create something natural. 

 

Most of the research is based on food, 

since it offers the perfect meeting point of nature and technology. By looking at human-guided evolution and biotechnology, "Why Sweet Potatoes Are Sweet" seeks to understand how much human influence is tolerated to still perceive a product as natural and how far artificial processes can be used to make natural products. It also asks how humans could adopt the design approach of natural evolution to evolve natural solutions to current environmental challenges.