Aug 1 2022 - Alien Species Far and Wide

 

Invasive species have travelled all over the planet in the form of plants, animals, fish.  The most impactful aliens travelling around are people and that has led to our new awareness of "colonization" behaviours.  But what about between planets - would we have alien species here now? The movies are focused on alien beings from space.  When rocks are brought back from the moon aren't they kept in isolation in case there are alien species that could come with them?  The idea of biological matter proliferating across the cosmos on rocks and ice is known as panspermia and is well studied. "Based on an experiment in 2015 on the International Space Station,  the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans can survive at least three years in space. Akihiko Yamagishi, a microbiologist at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences who led the study, says the results also suggest that microbial life could travel between planets unprotected by rock." Scientists think that microbe spores could survive inside rock. That means that life could be transferred between Earth and Mars.  And then what?  They would have to survive re-entry into the other planet. That's likely a problem.   Although years-long trips are theoretically possible, scientists estimate that it can take up to several million years for matter to leave one planet and land on another within the solar system. What was the relevance of the study? “The relevance of this study is less in proving that massapanspermia or panspermia are possible,” says Cabrol. “But to me it shows that we have to be extremely careful with our contamination when we go to Mars.” Here we are again - we're the species everyone has to worry about. The article is HERE.  Here's the back view of Nelles Manor - at the left - and the small additional building straight ahead.  This "back" was originally the front of the house.  And then Main Street was re-routed and the back was now facing the street.  A new porch was put on to match the importance of the structure.  And the pretty-shaped  areas  around the bench are populated with that invasive species periwinkle.

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July 31 2022 - Periwinkle The Thug

 

Periwinkle is a "ground cover".  It covers the ground like grass, but has a sort-of garden look as you don't usually walk on it.   It forms thick mats just like grass, and keeps out most weeds.  It doesn't take a lot of care. Periwinkle is an alien plant, native to Europe.  It is an invasive plant here.  That means it takes over everything.  It  smothers out all the native plants.  This close to the escarpment which is a world biosphere reserve, designated by UNESCO, isn't a good thing.  They jumps into the woods and that's the end of the the native plants. Niagara is a small area that is a Carolinian region, so it is significant to attend to its preservation.   People in Niagara have a few reactions to finding out about the impact of the periwinkle growing in their garden.  Some of the gardeners have yards that back on to the escarpment.   ' What would I do if it wasn't for periwinkle? " is one reaction.  Another response is: "I'm not getting rid of periwinkle in my garden."   It is a lesson for us - this simple thing in our yards - periwinkle.  This is something we have full control over without a lot of cost or impact to us.  If we can resist this so strongly,  think about our resistance to climate change problems.   That got me thinking - so  I went onto the climate hero site and took the climate consumer test.  I found out that I am a Climate Consumer with around 9.9 tons of CO2e.  The second part of the survey offers alternatives to lower your climate footprint and at the end to neutralize your carbon footprint with a financial contribution.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was a simple as digging up some periwinkle! Go take the Climate Calculator test HERE. Today's picture is Nelles Manor Museum.

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What about The Hum?

It is close to November and there are different sounds outside than in summer.  Perhaps one notices these sounds in the later fall rather than the summer.  There is a lot more wind, so noises get to us that might not have travelled as far.  And the wind itself is quite noisy. Can it be that the electric hum around transformers and on power lines only happens in the late fall?  I have looked this up and the humming sounds are caused by stray magnetic fields causing the enclosure and accessories to vibrate. Power lines make noises when it is hotter out, rather than colder.  Power lines can emit a buzzing sound when it is raining or wet outside, the air is "ionizing". This is different than "The Hum". The World Hum Map and Database Project is HERE.  This is a world mystery.  Most people find the website when they are disturbed by an unusual unidentified low-frequency sound that scientists now call the Worldwide Hum.  At this site, you can see the entries in the World Hum Map and Database and there are 10,000 plus map and data points..  Here is an excerpt from the overview: "The classic description is that The Hum sounds like a car or truck engine idling outside your home or down the block. Some people describe it as a low rumbling or droning sound. It is typically perceived louder at night than during the day, and louder indoors than outdoors. The sound can usually be masked by background noise, such as a fan or keeping the radio on. We estimate that 2-4% of the global population can experience this phenomenon under certain conditions". The first records of the Hum were in England in the late 1960s. There are investigations to find out if there are occurrences going back to the 18th and 19th centuries.  This is a great scientific mystery that is receiving increased scientific attention - you can check out the Wikipedia entry HERE.   In the U.S., the Taos Hum has been documented extensively. In fact, there's a YouTube recording of 12 hours of The Hum. Today's picture is the back garden at Nelles Manor, the oldest house between Kingston and Niagara-on-the-Lake.  this actually was the front of the house.  Main Street was re-routed so it became the back. The Nelles property stretched from the escarpment to Lake Ontario, so it seems interesting that the road was in the front to start.