What greater magic can there be than the signature trick of all leaf magicians when they extract a rare gas from the atmosphere and turn it into solid wood? Before the industrial revolution, leaves achieved this feat with a concentration of carbon dioxide that was only 0.02 percent, half the level it is today. Every skilled magician weaves a story into their performance, and though devoid of intentionality, plants are no different when they perform the signature trick of photosynthesis.

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The narrative plays out an evolutionary history that is written in genetic code, but the script is not inscribed in the cell nucleus with the plant’s chromosomes, where you might expect to find it. The history of photosynthesis is hidden in the tiny bodies called chloroplasts, which are found in their hundreds floating inside every green plant cell.…