Scientists have challenged Mother Nature by building a better plant - only theirs is a digital one. Researchers at the University of Illinois have built a simulation program for a super-efficient leaf.

While SuperLeaf doesn't leap tall buildings in a single bound, its efficiency allows it to produce more leaves and fruit using the same amount of energy a normal leaf uses.

The experiment didn't go on to test on actual plants because it would be too time-consuming and expensive. Instead they opted to test their theories on a supercomputer.

What they did is simulate the proteins involved in photosynthesis, redirecting the different elements gathered by the plant for more efficiency, and more productivity. One example is nitrogen in grain: instead of the leaves, nitrogen is redirected to other parts that will benefit productivity more.

The researchers were asked why the plant didn't evolve to do this in the first place. Steve Long, the principal investigator of the project, explained that "the answer may lie in the fact that evolution selects for survival and fecundity, while we were selecting for increased productivity."