Mycelium Networks

Mycelium networks are truly remarkable, acting as the unseen connectors and communicators of the natural world. They demonstrate how interconnected and interdependent ecosystems can be.

This incredible underground web of fungal threads acts like nature's very own support system for plants, connecting them much like the Internet does for people. When mycelium forms a partnership with plant roots, it's called mycorrhiza, and it facilitates the exchange of nutrients, water, and even vital information among various plant species. Thanks to mycelium, trees and plants can actually communicate, share resources, and even warn each other about threats, such as drought and fires.

Here are some key benefits and interesting aspects of mycelium communication:

Nutrient Exchange  Mycelium helps plants absorb nutrients and water from the soil. In return, plants provide the fungi with sugars and other organic compounds produced through photosynthesis. This mutualistic relationship enhances the health and growth of both organisms.

Resource Sharing  Different plants connected by mycelium networks can share resources, such as water and nutrients, especially in times of scarcity. For example, a well-established tree might supply water to a nearby sapling during a drought through the mycelial network.

Chemical Signaling  Mycelium can detect and respond to environmental changes. It can send chemical signals to plants, alerting them to potential threats like pests or pathogens. This allows plants to activate their defense mechanisms, making the ecosystem more resilient.

Soil Health  Mycelium decomposes organic matter, breaking it down into nutrients that plants can use. This process enriches the soil and promotes a healthy ecosystem. Mycelium also helps bind soil particles together, preventing erosion and improving soil structure.

Biodiversity  By facilitating nutrient and resource exchange, mycelium networks support a diverse range of plant species, promoting biodiversity in ecosystems. This diversity, in turn, creates a more stable and resilient environment.

Remediation  Some fungi in mycelium networks can break down pollutants, including heavy metals and hydrocarbons, helping to clean up contaminated environments. This process, known as mycoremediation, has potential applications in environmental restoration efforts.

 

Photons: From Planck to Einstein

 A photon (from the Ancient Greek word phōtós meaning "light") is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. 

Photons were unknown and unnamed in 1900 when physicist Max Planck published his theory of quantum mechanics, which is often considered one of the most radical scientific discoveries of the 20th century. 

At that time, physicists accepted the work of Isaac Newton without any criticism. They believed that the interactions between all physical objects, from atoms to planets, would be predictable and logical. But one thing that physicists couldn't quite understand was the way light worked. 

Planck was working in a laboratory in 1900, heating up various substances and examining the color of light they emitted when they reached certain temperatures. He wanted to describe his results in mathematical terms, but no matter how hard he tried, his mathematical calculations didn't make sense. The only way he could fix the problem was to assume that light travels in little packets, like bullets, even though this seemed impossible. He published his calculations but called his theory about light "an act of desperation." He assumed that some future physicist would figure out what he had done wrong. 

It was only five years later when Albert Einstein took Planck's theory of light seriously and wrote his first major paper exploring the idea of light traveling in packets. He called those packets photons. Even though he became better known for his theory of relativity, it was Einstein's work expanding on Planck's original ideas about light that won him a Nobel Prize. Einstein later said, "I use up more brain grease on quantum theory than on relativity."

Mistletoe at Christmas

The mistletoe plant has been long associated with Christmastime and kissing. But oddly enough, the actual plant is parasitic and toxic.

It was once considered to have fertility magic. Mistletoe is seen as having both luck and fertility energy and couples would kiss under the mistletoe to ensure fertility.

Pagan cultures regarded the white berries as symbols of male fertility, with the seeds resembling semen. The Celts held this belief and the Ancient Greeks referred to mistletoe as "oak sperm." 

Mistletoe may have played an important role in Druidic mythology in the Ritual of Oak and Mistletoe. Evidence taken from bog bodies makes the Celtic use of mistletoe seem medicinal rather than ritual. The Romans associated mistletoe with peace, love and understanding and hung it over doorways to protect the household.

In the Christian era, mistletoe in the Western world became associated with Christmas as a decoration under which lovers are expected to kiss. It was also considered to be protection from witches and demons. 

The serving class of Victorian England - particularly men - is credited with perpetuating the kissing tradition that dictated that a man was allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath mistletoe, and that bad luck would befall any woman who refused the kiss.

Mistletoe in its parasitic role on a tree

Mistletoe species grow on a wide range of host trees, some of which experience side effects including reduced growth, stunting, and loss of infested outer branches. A heavy infestation may also kill the host plant. European mistletoe, Viscum album, successfully parasitizes more than 200 tree and shrub species

There are 1500 species of mistletoe, varying widely in toxicity to humans; the European mistletoe is more toxic than the American mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum), though concerns regarding toxicity are more prevalent in the US. The effects are not usually fatal.

The Seeds at the End of the World

 

This is the vault at the end of the world where all the existing seeds on the planet are kept. It is located in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway, about 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole. 

Opened in 2008, this underground warehouse is designed to preserve 4.5 million seeds of crop plants from around the world, acting as insurance against the loss of genetic biodiversity caused by natural disasters, conflict and climate change. 

Do we need biodiversity? Absolutely. In the last century, agricultural practices have shifted with modern techniques increasing crop yields, but also drastically reducing biodiversity. 

Today there are only 30 crops that account for 95% of the calories consumed by humans. Only 10% of the rice varieties grown in China in the 1950s are still cultivated today, and the United States has lost over 90% of its fruit and vegetable varieties since the early 20th century.

Svalbard’s isolation away from political and environmental threats, wars, rising sea levels, and other global risks and the permafrost acting as a natural freezer to help the artificial cooling systems inside, ensures seeds remain viable for extended periods.

The seeds kept there represent 13,000 years of agricultural history, ranging from modern hybrids to wild and ancient varieties. 

It is sometimes called The Doomsday Vault, though that sounds so damned depressing. More encouraging is the news that currently, the vault stores over 930,000 seed varieties in its carefully controlled subzero environment, ensuring their longevity for centuries. The facility stands as a testament to international cooperation, with deposits from nearly every country on Earth.

So, in case the world is ever destroyed and you are one of the only survivors, you know where to go.