Photosynthesis.
That was the word Shelby Forthright used when talking about the conditions required to affirm life on Earth was again sustainable. Yet EVE's scanning capabilities had been designed to probe far deeper than merely whether or not the plant was successfully converting nutrients from sunlight. The soil, the plant's skin, every last inch of its genetic makeup was taken in to the Probe's database when she had scanned it.
So when EVE had asked WALL-E to show her where he'd first found the Plant after their return to Earth, she was puzzled when he brought her to a hollowed-out old refridgerator. The door had been cut open by WALL-E, meaning the plant inside had been unable to receive sunlight prior to that point. And yet, the small green survivor huddled deep in that boot was as well-fed as any of its kind could hope to be.
EVE found it curious, but warmly familiar. Against all logic, this plant had lived. Against all logic, she'd learned love.
The universe, it seemed, was full of small miracles.