Dragonline blogs

Electricity from trees

Todd — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 02:51:09 +0000

Researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), in Brisbane, Australia have published findings from a study showing ion concentrations in heavily wooded areas to be twice that of grassy areas. The increased ion counts are believed to be caused by the trees transporting watersoluble radon from ground water into the atmosphere as they transpire. The research paper is available from Environmental Science & Technology.

Abstract
The role of ions in the production of atmospheric particles has gained wide interest due to their profound impact on climate. Away from anthropogenic sources, molecules are ionized by alpha radiation from radon exhaled from the ground and cosmic gamma radiation from space. These molecular ions quickly form into ‘cluster ions’, typically smaller than about 1.5 nm. Using our measurements and the published literature, we present evidence to show that cluster ion concentrations in forest areas are consistently higher than outside. Since alpha radiation cannot penetrate more than a few centimetres of soil, radon present deep in the ground cannot directly contribute to the measured cluster ion concentrations. We propose an additional mechanism whereby radon, which is water soluble, is brought up by trees and plants through the uptake of groundwater and released into the atmosphere by transpiration. We estimate that, in a forest comprising eucalyptus trees spaced 4m apart, approximately 28% of the radon in the air may be released by transpiration. Considering that 24% of the earth’s land area is still covered in forests; these findings have potentially important implications for atmospheric aerosol formation and climate.

( Via PhysOrg )

Brains from the BBC

Duncan — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:55:24 +0000

3 BBC News items on brains

Is this what thoughts sound like?

University of California psychology and neuroscience professor Bob Knight explains how computers are being used to decode imagined speech.

World premiere of brain orchestra

Brain waves from thoughts of sounds used to move cursor

Moving a computer cursor by thinking about a series of vowels.

Archaeoacoustics around the world

Duncan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:18:03 +0000

The Landscape & Perception project of Jon Wozencroft & Paul Devereux is conducting ongoing research in “Archaeoacoustics.”

Previously mentioned here by Gordon, ancient sites with acoustic “ringing rocks” have been discovered all over the globe. Of note is research conducted by the L&P team with ICRL fellows ( lead by Robert Jahn, formerly of PEAR ) whose paper “Ancient Architectural Acoustic Resonance Patterns and Regional Brain Activity” appeared in Time and Mind, March 2008.

Percussionist Z’ev has played on lithophones in Carn Menyn, Wales ( see the bottom of the sidebar here for photos and a sampling of the sound ).

The Sound Machine

Duncan — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:27:15 +0000

Roald Dahl’s “The Sound Machine”, first published in the September 17, 1949 issue of The New Yorker, proposes a device that can pick up high frequency sounds and convert them into the range audible by humans. The inventor of the machine first hears shrieks of roses being cut by a neighbor. Taking an axe to a beech tree the next day, he is surprised to hear “a harsh, noteless, enormous noise, a growling, low-pitched, screaming sound…”

A radio dramatization of the story is on archive.org in MP3 format.

Several short films have been inspired by the short story. Two on YouTube are embedded below.

Scans of the original issue of The New Yorker are available via one-time payment or subscription at their site.

Leafsnap

Todd — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:28:24 +0000

Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution have joined forces to develop a series of electronic field guides. Their first effort, Leafsnap, uses visual recognition algorithms to identify trees via photos of their leaves. Their species list is currently limited to trees found in the New York City and Washington D.C. areas, but will soon grow to cover the continental United States. Leafsnap is available as a free iPhone app at the iTunes App Store. ( Via Kottke and Garden Design )

Singing Mice

Duncan — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:24:30 +0000

Featured in the May 2011 issue of Smithsonian magazine is an article about the vocalizations of different species of mice. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, biologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, is a behavioral ecologist with expertise in how animals use sound. While working a California field site in 2004, she used an ultrasonic recorder ( analogous to Gordon’s Bat Box ) to capture nighttime sounds, some of which she suspected to be those of mice she was studying.

Bringing the recordings into the computer, Matina’s team noticed a fairly loud four-note song that turned out to be from a deer mouse. A slowed down recording of the mouse song sounds eerily akin to whale song. Have a listen.

Dubspot Hi-Fidelity Sessions - Boston - April 22

Todd — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:19:20 +0000

Photo: Todd Thille

Duncan will join Richard Devine and Steve Nalepa to discuss “Sounds of Unseen Worlds” at Dubspot’s Hi-Fidelity Sessions in Boston this Friday, April 22, 2011. Their presentation begins at 5PM at Bristol Studios and is free with RSVP. The event is part of the larger Together Festival taking place all week in Boston.

Wales to DNA barcode it's native flowering plant species

Todd — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:48:51 +0000

Wales aims to be one of the first countries to catalog DNA barcodes of all of it’s native flowering plants, 1143 species in total. The reference barcodes being assembled would allow for identification of any plant species from the tiniest fragment if the plant.

This effort is in sync with global initiatives to catalog DNA barcodes for all living things. The growing database is meant to be a freely accessible online global resource.

Further information about the Welsh initiative is at The National Botanic Garden of Wales. More information on DNA barcoding can be found at International Barcode of Life, Barcode of Life, and Barcode of Life Data Systems.

Via ( UK Plant Science )

Examiner Interview

Todd — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:23:03 +0000

Duncan interviewed by Dan Godston for the Examiner. An overview of early influences and ongoing projects.

Steampunk Radionics

Todd — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:30:56 +0000

( Photo: Joseph Max )

‘Aetheric Artist’ Joseph Max will be showing a number of radionic devices at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in Santa Clara, CA March 25th-27th, 2011. Mr. Max will be presenting his Reflexophone 2.0, Aetheric Shield Generator, and a Steampunk Hieronymus Machine (pictured above).

Purr Generator in North Carolina

Todd — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:00:05 +0000

The Purr Generator has settled into a new home at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The North Carolina State University students have taken a liking to it, as evidenced by an entry on their Digital Imaging blog.

Reality Sandwich Interview

Todd — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:32:28 +0000

Duncan was recently interviewed by Jenifer P. Borum over at Reality Sandwich.

The interview touches on The Secret Art, the Purr Generator, Nature Intelligence, Radionics, Hieronymous, Hopi and Aboriginal art, and more…

The Secret Art book signing in Middleton, RI

Todd — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:47:36 +0000

Duncan will be appearing for the Local Author night at Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Middleton, RI on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. The event begins at 7pm. Copies of The Secret Art will be available for purchase.

Stop by if you are in the area.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
1311 West Main Road
Middletown, RI 02842
tel: 401-846-6737

The roots of plant intelligence

Todd — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:35:39 +0000

Stefano Mancuso at TEDGlobal 2010

Plants behave in some oddly intelligent ways: fighting predators, maximizing food opportunities … But can we think of them as actually having a form of intelligence of their own? Italian botanist Stefano Mancuso presents intriguing evidence.

( Via )

Talking Tree

Todd — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:23:02 +0000

Photo: cecilia azcrate

Talking Tree commissioned by EOS Magazine

A 100 year old tree, living on the edge of Brussels, was hooked up to a fine dust meter, ozone meter, light meter, weatherstation, webcam and microphone. This equipment constantly measures the tree’s living circumstances. And translates this information into human language. Then, the tree lets the world know how he feels. Follow the life of the talking tree via Twitter, Flickr, Soundcloud and friend him on Facebook.

Making of video on Vimeo

( Via )

Carnivorous plants losing ground in the U.S.

Todd — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:17:17 +0000

Photo: Amina Khan / Los Angeles Times

Decades ago, lush stands of Darlingtonia californica — emerald plants coiled like fanged cobras ready to pounce — grew at this spot [Quincy, CA] in the northern reaches of the Sierra Nevada.

Deep in the ravine, the air is hot and dead. Pieces of bark that have sloughed off trees make every step a danger — nature's equivalent of a thousand forgotten skateboards cluttering a driveway. Slate tinkles underfoot, and the ground feels like stale angel-food cake: stiff yet porous.

[Barry] Rice, a botanist at UC Davis, is not the first to hunt the cobra lily here in Butterfly Valley. In 1875, amateur botanist Rebecca Austin fed the plants raw mutton and carefully observed how they digested it.

Yet to this day, much of the plants' biology and habitat remain unknown — which is why Rice is here, trying to find established populations.

Near the bottom of the crevice, the ground becomes moist. The air cools and softens. This is where the cobra lilies would be. “When you see them, they look almost like animals,” Rice says.

But there are none to be seen.

( Via )

Plants fight predators with chemical signals

Todd — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:30:32 +0000

Plants have developed a sophisticated defense system. They can not only directly fend off herbivores by producing toxins, but also do so indirectly by emitting odorant molecules into the atmosphere that are perceived by predatory insects; these predators are lured to the attacked plant and feed on the herbivore or parasitize it – thereby providing a benefit for the plant.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have discovered that saliva from tobacco hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta) activates a substance in tobacco leaves, producing an odorous attractant. The attractant is picked up by carnivorous insects that feed on the hornworm larvae and eggs.

(Via) Press release PDF at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

David Benqué's Acoustic Botany

Todd — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:09:27 +0000

The debate around Genetic Engineering is currently centered around vital issues such as food, healthcare and the environment. However, we have been shaping nature for thousands of years, not only to suit our needs, but our most irrational desires. Beautiful flowers, mind altering weeds and crabs shaped like human faces all thrive on these desires, giving them an evolutionary advantage. By presenting a fantastical acoustic garden, a controlled ecosystem of entertainment, I aim to explore our cultural and aesthetic relationship to nature, and to question its future in the age of Synthetic Biology.

“Desired traits such as volume, timbre and harmony are acquired through selective breeding techniques.”

“Grafting, an age old practice (since at least 2000 BC.), is used to create harmonic notes combinations on a single tree.”

Floranium

Todd — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:01:00 +0000

“Light Art controlled by living plants”

Drawing inspiration from Cleve Backster’s polygraph tests with plants in The Secret Life of Plants, the Floranium is similar to an ECG (Electrocardiogram), responding to electro-chemical fluctuations in plants.

“FLORANIUM lamps are innovative life indicators that allow you to visualize activities of living plants, caused by movement, touch, changes in climate, environment and many other elements of life.”

“A ground probe is inserted into the plant’s soil and an electrode is connected directly to the plant’s leaf using a special adhesive paste.”

“The chemical reaction which takes place at this junction causes an electron flow to occur. The electron flow is measured with a very sensitive bio-signal amplifier. The amplifier is connected to a micro-controller which processes the plant’s bio-signal and converts it into a colorful LED display for viewing.”

Inventor Martin Heine interviewed on the Beyond 50 Radio Show.

Floranium blog and Facebook page.

Purr Generator leaving AVAM

Todd — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:31:51 +0000

The final month to view the Purr Generator at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore is almost upon us. Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness closes on September 6th, 2010.

The Purr Generator will then make it’s way to Raleigh, North Carolina where it will be on extended loan to the Gregg Museum of Art & Design on the North Carolina State University campus.

Plant Vacation in Los Angeles

Todd — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:46:02 +0000

If you happen to be in Los Angeles with some houseplants that would enjoy a vacation at the Hammer Museum, the good folks at Machine Project have something special for them, starting on Saturday July 31st.

You can drop off your houseplants for a month-long vacation which includes a variety of musical performances, readings, psychic healings and “no humans allowed” midnight Plant Pornography screening. You can also call into the museum and talk to the plants over a loudspeaker.

Visit Plant Vacation for further details.

Featured Author on Graham Hancook's site

Todd — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:44:49 +0000

Duncan is the featured author on Graham Hancock’s site through the end of the July.

Coast to Coast AM interview

Todd — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:55:44 +0000

Duncan will be interviewed tonight ( Saturday, July 17, 2010 10PM-2AM PT ) on Coast to Coast AM. The show topic is “Radionics & Healing” and will touch on The Secret Art.

The Borderlands of Science on Vimeo

Todd — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:30:50 +0000

The good folks at Borderlands Science Research Foundation have relaunched their web presence with a nice collection of modernized websites. They have also gotten into the social networking sphere with Facebook, Twitter and a channel on Vimeo which features a number of videos about Duncan and the studio.

God particle signal simulated as sound

Todd — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:56:58 +0000

Scientists have simulated the sounds set to be made by sub-atomic particles such as the Higgs boson when they are produced at the Large Hadron Collider.

Their aim is to develop a means for physicists at Cern to “listen to the data” and pick out the Higgs particle if and when they finally detect it.

Dr Lily Asquith modelled data from the giant Atlas experiment at the LHC.

She worked with sound engineers to convert data expected from collisions at the LHC into sounds.

If the energy is close to you, you will hear a low pitch and if it’s further away you hear a higher pitch, the particle physicist told BBC News. If it’s lots of energy it will be louder and if it’s just a bit of energy it will be quieter.

( Via BBC News - God particle signal is simulated as sound )

Do Plants Feel Pain?

Duncan — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:31:52 +0000

Photo by: brewbooks

What is ‘sentience’? When a person or animal is injured they react by experiencing pain, marshalling the body’s defense systems to repair the damage and begin the process of recovery. The question, surely, is whether we know enough about sentience to be quite certain that plant life does not have it.

Every ecologist out there, and even amateur gardeners, have been known to swear that plants, too, ‘feel’ things, but it is only recent research that has demonstrated just how ‘intelligent’ they really are. Plant life has a heritage far older than mankind, and in some respects, it makes we humans seem inadequate! Is it not about time to take more notice?

(Via Environmental Graffiti)

the Cloud Project

Todd — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:04:10 +0000

the Cloud Project by Zoe Papadopoulou and Cathrine Kramer

Developments in nanotechnology and planetary-scale engineering point to new possibilities for us to conform the global environment to our needs. These advances combined with a dream to make clouds snow ice cream have inspired a series of experiments that look at ways to alter the composition of clouds to make new and delicious sensory experiences. Using ice-cream as a catalyst for interesting dialogue, the project’s focus is to welcome people into a mobile space that sits outside institutions, letting new audiences experience and imagine emerging scientific developments and their consequences.

(Via BLDGBLOG)

Radionic Socks

Todd — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:36:16 +0000

Radionic socks are available again from manufacturer Ozone Socks.

THE HEALING RADIONIC SOCK WITH TATTOOS
Radionics is a universally accepted term for an alternative technology used to cure or prevent disease. The Radionic circuit on our healing sock was devised by Duncan Laurie from alternative technology that has been in use for over 100 years. The tattoos should be placed on the body and rubbed until a connection occurs. Instructions included.
Ozone makes no medical claim in connection with the Healing Radionic Sock. Let us know how you make out.

Music from a Bonsai

Todd — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:49:53 +0000

Music from a Bonsai

I always liked bonsai trees, and I was curious to try the approach I used for "Music from a Tree" on a smaller scale, so I bought a bonsai and recorded this little experimental piece.

To determine the key I used the lowest note I could play and recorded the rest around it. Besides playing the leaves, I used bows of different sizes, a piano hammer and a paint brush.

As far as microphones I used my Røde NT6, a customized stethoscope and tiny MEAS piezo transducers.

Lots of other interesting projects Diego's site.

(Via swissmiss & Music of Sound)

Bark beetles' song could save forests

Todd — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:03:18 +0000

Bark beetles’ song could save forests

Researchers at Northern Arizona University think they may have found an environmentally safe and readily available weapon against the tree-eating armies of bark beetles.

…the beetles were exposed to digitally altered recordings of their own calls, the sounds they make to attract or repel other beetles. The response was immediate. The beetles stopped mating or burrowing. Some fled, helter-skelter. Some violently attacked each other.

Our interest is to use acoustic sounds, specific only to each species, that make beetles uncomfortable and not want to be in that environment.
— NAU Forest Entomology Professor Dr. Richard Hofstetter.

(Via BLDGBLOG)