Plants aren't as passive as they look

When I was growing up my step-mom used to tell me about stuff she was learning or reading, mostly through the Org (Church of Scientology). One of the stories that stuck in my head was about how plants had been used to identify a murderer - The Secret Life of Plants (http://www.pureinsight.org/node/1496). Lyall Watson, a South African, was one of the researchers, back in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

As a teacher of science, part of me considers this book to be complete trash - pseudoscience at best. Yet, something about this particular story has stuck with me. Plants do react better, albeit anecdotally, to people who treat them well - talk and sing to them, and it's not just about increasing CO2 levels. Science has shown that plants do react to sound.

Since that book was published, other studies have shown that plants do produce stress chemicals - jasmonates are produced when plants become infected, or wounded by herbivory. They are also released into the air as volatile compounds, which nearby plants react to by increasing their own production of jasmonates, in preparation for herbivory or preventing infection. (Nitric oxide is another, also used as a cellular signal to kick-start the immune response in plants.)

What strikes me about this, is that plants whose roots or leaves are not touching are able to communicate with each other, and warn each other about potential impending danger. Recent research also shows that plants appear to be MAKING sounds, with their roots, to communicate with other plants. It appears that some plant roots produce and respond to sound in the 200Hz range (humans hearing range is from 20- 20000 Hz). It has also been shown that plants in danger produce a higher pitch sound than when they are not threatened - the equivalent of screaming or shouting.

 Obviously, there is a lot more going on than we currently understand. But all this begs the question - were Lyall and his cronies onto something? Were they just ahead of the curve? Are plants sentient in some way?

While the Bible is often metaphorical and allegorical in its language, I can't but help thinking of certain texts with fresh eyes now...

Is 55:12 the trees of the field will clap their hands...

Ps 96:12 ...let all the trees of the forest sing for joy...

When the trees clap their hands, when they sing, I wonder... are they wafting praise chemicals around??? It's an interesting thought, isn't it?

Dawkins may be getting faith, just maybe.

I read a very interesting blog post today about a recent debate that Richard Dawkins took part in. According to the blogger, it seems that Dawkins might be on the cusp of developing faith. Incredible, I know! Who would have thunk it?

While Dawkins may be a genius in some respects, I have been completely uninterested in reading his work because he seems, to my humble mind, so unscientific when it comes to analysing his own thoughts and beliefs. Since integrity is a value I hold highly, those who fail to show it inevitably slide down my list of people to regard.

It struck me as odd though, that I read this blog today, given that just 2 nights ago a friend shared with me a book he is currently reading, which looks at how the study of the human genome provides evidence for there being a God. There are plenty of books about recording how hardened atheists went in search of proof that they were right, and many looked to science, only to have their beliefs blown out of the water and finding themselves becoming Christians.

Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but maybe the world's faith pendulum is about to start swinging the other way again. Maybe revival is in the air. Now wouldn't that be an awesome thing? Bring it on!!

Science Fair

The last few weeks have sped past in a blur, mainly because I've been working incredibly hard on the Science Fair. This is our in-house "first round" of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists. Every single break has been taken up with kids asking questions. Most free lessons have been spent trying to sort out the admin. Most afternoons have been spent marking. Thus, all my normal school work has been shifted to the evenings, with the result that during this patch, I have had several (far too many, actually) nights where I've hit the sack after midnight.

My hubbie has been amazing at dealing with the kids - he's basically been a single parent for the 2 weeks! How I'd cope without him, I have no idea. Actually, no, I do: I wouldn't. He is a precious jewel of a man and I am incredibly blessed to be married to him. There aren't many men who would put up with wives who are teachers, but he has to be the best amongst that select group.

I have really missed my kids too, and they have missed me. Nellie frequently asks me now whether I'm going back to school in the evening and over the weekend. It's an incredibly sad indictment on my life - one I am determined to put right now. And this weekend, I've certainly gone a long way to fixing things.

We took the dogs for a LOOOOOOONG walk - long overdue - along the Cable Car road. It would have been a perfect morning, except that Baggins decided to jump over a wall - and down a cliff of about 4m. He seemed okay (just a bit bruised) until this afternoon... but now he's not looking so good. We're going to take him to the vet tomorrow. I'm just hoping and praying there's nothing serious wrong with him.

Today we went on an outing with Nellie's nursery, which was lots of fun. It was good to spend time with Nellie, jumping in the waves, watching the fish (see her blog), and digging in the sand. I've missed time to just play with her.

Hopefully things will calm down a bit now, but with one member of my department off sick, it won't be as calm as I'd hoped. Still, it could be worse...

What I've really learnt through this process is to take things one day at a time. I've been amazed at my own serenity throughout - apart from one day when everything seemed to be coming apart at the seams. It seems that God is at work in me, and that I'm getting more experienced at dealing with stress in a positive way.

Saying that, the other thing I've really missed is going to church and cell group. This week I'm going to a woman's event on Tues (at church), so won't be at cell, but from next weekend things should be back to normal there too. I can't wait!

While I think Science Fair is essential for the kids, and a really valuable exercise, it does take its toll on me and on my family. I hope the price is worth it in the long run!

Eskom Expo for Young Scientists

The Cape Town Expo took place this week. Despite being on maternity leave I was involved as a judge (well, actually, a convener, but let's not split hairs) for the seniors (Grades 10-12; approx ages 15-18). I'm really glad I was. It was a fascinating experience and I picked up some good ideas for our in-house school version.

I have to say though, I was disappointed with the overall standard of the projects. One of the projects that particularly sticks in my mind was about the effects of alcohol on unborn fetuses. Before I say more, I need to point out that a) this expo is supposed to be about investigations (ie. experiments) and not just about research projects, and that b) projects involving alcohol are severely frowned upon (in fact, they will not be permitted AT ALL next year). This project was from a learner who was obviously not a first language English speaker (if the spelling and grammatical errors were anything to go by) and was obviously from a disadvantaged background (if the quality of the poster was anything to go by). Neither of those things should severely disadvantage a learner though, as the adjudication is mostly based upon the content of the project and an interview.

What did impact rather negatively on this project was that, in the first paragraph, the learner said something like (I can't give an exact quote, but it is close to the real thing): Alcohol makes babies cuter because they are filled with fruit.

Yes, you read that correctly. I had to read and re-read the sentence several times, just to check I'd got it right. And then I proceeded to howl with laughter, and cry with dismay that a) this learner's teacher thought this project good enough to bring to Expo and b) this learner's teacher probably didn't care enough to look (not even look closely) at the project before submitting it to Expo.

Seriously - is this the quality of teacher that exists in SA? If so, then God help us, because our youth are essentially being set adrift by the very people who are supposed to anchor them. I knew that the qualification level of teachers wasn't necessarily very high (I've been told that many only have matric themselves), but that was during the Apartheid era. I had thought that the government had been fixing this by creating all sorts of special categories for schools to channel more money to them for the training and equipping of staff and schools. Apparently though, the situation is worse than I thought.

I mean, really? Babies are cuter because alcohol fills them with fruit? Yeah, okay - fruity as in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome fruity. Brain-damaged fruity maybe, but not cute fruity! Sorry, but no.

If this weren't real I would continue laughing, but this is so sad, so tragic I can't laugh anymore. Even crying about it won't help. How do we fix this? How do we save this great nation of ours when this sort of thing is happening? And more importantly, what role do I play in fixing this problem?

On the plus side, we got our first gold medal (which is automatic entrance to the next round) in goodness knows how many years! I was very proud of little Daniel (He's only in Gd 9). It couldn't happen to a sweeter child. He had those beautiful shiny eyes and eager expression that spoke volumes when he received his medal. He isn't one of those kids who achieve this kind of success every day and for whom receiving a medal is either embarrassing (because it marks them as geeks) or blase (because they always succeed at whatever they do).

National Finals are in Pretoria in a few weeks' time. For Daniel, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He can't wait. His words to me were "I'm overwhelmed." Now I need to find him sponsorship of about R2000 to ensure he gets there. So if any of you faithful readers can suggest someone I can approach, please do let me know. (He has to pay his deposit by Thursday this coming week and the balance the week after.) His project was a physics one entitled "Determining the effect of different shapes of caravans on stream-lined cars in a cross-wind environment". Yup. And he's only in Gd 9. Bright child. You know, I think this experience might just enthuse him enough to take Science at varsity level, which is the point of the Expo. Whether or not it does, just seeing his face light up was enough of a reward to make all the hard work to make the Expo happen worth it!

Well done, Daniel! And I will do everything in my power to make it possible for you to be in Pretoria come October.