Could Music be the Solution to Our Disappearing Forests?

Elizabeth Sprason on 7 April 2024

Noise pollution is a major concern in our community from simply annoying neighbours to affecting our mood and sleep patterns. In the natural world, it is well known that loud noises caused by humans can affect wild animals’ hunting and foraging abilities. However, for mycelium, a type of fungi, certain noises might be beneficial. Researchers at Flinders University have discovered that music helps promote growth in fungi.

The rate at which Trichoderma harzianum produced spores following regular exposure to a sound at 8kHz was measured by the researchers to prove that ‘ecoacoustics’ can be a viable way of restoring ecosystems. The use of sounds has previously been helpful to measure soil health but it’s never previously been used as an active solution.

Fungi play a massive role within the forest ecosystem. Forest Ecology Professor Suzanne Simard at the University of British Columbia discovered the ‘Wood Wide Web’ which is a fungal network that shares resources such as carbon and deliver signals between plant species spanning acres of forest. Similar to the human nervous system, action potentials have been detected within certain species which even suggests the fungi can ‘talk’ to each other. Mycelium species have a symbiotic relationship with the trees as the fungi gain essential nutrients synthesised by the trees (e.g. sugar) which the fungi are unable to produce themselves. In return, forest plants receive access to a pool of difficult-to-find nutrients and can share chemical signals that warn of changes to their environment, for example. This mutual relationship is often threatened by deforestation, intensive farming, and pollution. The Wood Wide Web can take years to fully develop with studies showing that urban plants often don’t fair as well against disease and extreme weather events than their wilder counterparts who have access to a strong web network. Therefore, it is important to find effective ways to rejuvenate fungal species in ecosystems.

Before you start singing at the top your lungs in the Meanwood Valley, the study found that the most effective frequency for mycelium growth was above 5kHz. Ariana Grande, who is well known for her high pitch singing, can only reach frequencies of around 2600 Hz. The way that the researchers set up the equipment involved placing the samples into attenuation chambers that blocked out any outside noises and stimulated the sample dishes for 30 minutes a day with Bluetooth speakers. Future experiments, lead researcher J. Robinson suggests, should aim to discover whether specific frequencies can promote growth in desirable fungi like the ones in the Wood Wide Web and inhibit the growth of species that are responsible for diseases like pneumonia.

There may be some time in the future when nature walks won’t just be accompanied by the sound of bird song; forest speakers may begin to play accompanying tracks for the subterranean ecosystem. Improving the growth rate of the fungi will result in an accelerated restoration of natural habitats and improve the resilience of our natural spaces.

Earthshot Winners Announced: the People Taking on Climate Change

Elizabeth Sprason on 23 November 2023

On the 7^th November, five winners of the Earthshot Prize 2023 were announced by Prince William at a star-studded event in Singapore. Out of 1300 nominees, the winners included community projects, high tech startups, and charities. The Earthshot awards have gained great global interest and shines a spotlight on communities working to protect our planet.

Image Credit: The Earthshot Prize (https://earthshotprize.org/our-vision-mission/)

The purpose of the Earthshot Prize is to accelerate sustainable development and innovation, and has 5 defining categories. By 2030, the five Earthshot winners aim to: Protect and Restore Nature by seeing a growth in natural habitats; Clean Our Air and ensure that globally the World Health Organisation standard is met; Revive Our Oceans and future proof them for the next generation; Build a Waste-Free World with a focus on removing single use plastics, and finally, Fix Our Climate which has the aim to build a carbon neutral economy.

Each of the winners are awarded £1million to help develop their projects as well as receiving recognition and notoriety within the sustainability community. Back in 2020, Prince William set up the prize and is described by the Royal Foundation as “the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history”. From 2021 to 2030, a winner will be announced for each of the five categories having been judged by the Earthshot Prize Council (which includes in their midst Prince William himself and Sir David Attenborough).

The 2023 winners were varied. From a conservation community project in the Andes planting almost 10 million native trees since 2018, to an Indian food waste prevention scheme that empowers female farmers by supplying solar powered food processors. One company – Boomitra – uses AI and satellite images to help farmers restore their soil health and improves food security.

The winner the Clean Our Air Earthshot, meanwhile, has developed a unique technology than can reduce greenhouse emissions by 40%. GRST (Green, Renewable and Sustainable Technology) uses water instead of NMP solvents to produce lithium batteries. This has the potential for a variety of uses from manufacturing to powering electric cars. Currently, lithium-ion batteries require destructive mining techniques to obtain the finite materials required. ~~and as~~ As the world moves away from fossil fuels, the demand for lithium will only increase, risking the future of many of earth’s habitats. Furthermore, using water is less toxic than NMP solvents and ~~also~~ makes the battery easier to recycle, thus ultimately reducing waste. With the prize money, the Hong Kong based start-up is set to build the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery factory in China and upscale its battery production.

Other winners and nominees from previous years include The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs for the Build a Waste-Free World, Reeddi Capsules for Fix Our Climate, and The Great Bubble Barrier for Revive Our Oceans. One 2021 finalist is Vinisha Umashankar who at 14 created solar powered carts that improved ironing vendors health in India as an alternative to the charcoal stands used in her community.

Seeing through the glamour, it’s clear to see the legacy the Earthshot prizes create, and the importance of the awareness it creates for the climate crisis. Who will win next?

Image Credit: The Earthshot Prize (https://earthshotprize.org/our-vision-mission/)

Review: New Scientist Live Exhibition 2023

Elizabeth Sprason on 26 October 2023

In the eyes of the public, the latest scientific discoveries can often be difficult to understand and feel exclusive only to those with the passion to study them. In order for science to enter the public consciousness, scientists must first clearly communicate their findings and this which, over recent years, has been proven to be scientists’ shortfall. The media loves to scoop up the big and exciting discoveries but most of the real hard work gets overlooked. Yet, every once in a while, researchers get the opportunity to meet with the public face to face and share their ideas.

One such opportunity is New Scientist Live.

New Scientist Live is a festival of knowledge and I was lucky to attend. Spanning across two days, talks and stalls engaged from all ages and backgrounds. Each year a range of topics is covered from the secrets of the universe to the inner workings of the mind. The event was hosted by New Scientist – a science magazine that has nearly 140,000 subscribers – and joined by famous scientists such as Jim Al-Khalili (professor at the University of Surrey and The World According to Physics, Cunk on Earth contributor), Alice Roberts (professor at the University of Birmingham and Time Team star), and Chris van Tulleken (NHS doctor and CBBC presenter). Stallholders included King’s College London School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences and their students showcasing their array of surgical robots; energy company The Fusion Cluster sharing their search for clean energy, and Ancient Craft teaching people how to make Bronze Age weapons.

The stall that particularly stood out to me was the Rothamsted Research stall. Laid out across the table were various perfume bottles filled with different natural fragrances. As I sniffed each one, the researcher explained how each were derived from well-loved herbs such as lavender and lemongrass and, where we would enjoy these plants for their scent, these unassuming chemicals hold surprising superpowers. Other than just smelling nice, the plant’s secretion of these chemicals can promote growth in neighbouring species or repel harmful insects. For example, citronella oil (derived from the citronella plant and originating from Asia) can repel mosquitos through inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE). AChE hydrolyses the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – crucial for triggering muscle movement – and so its inhibition causes a buildup of acetylcholine within synapses leading to paralysis and death in the insect. Exploiting this natural insecticide for large scale farming could reduce the toxicity to native wildlife currently seen with older agricultural sprays. This was something that I had never heard of, and I was glad I had taken the time to get to know all the scientists that were present.

For anyone interested in science I recommend taking up similar opportunities. Perhaps a science festival is required at Leeds? Our university is a hub of innovation, and it would be exciting for everyone (not just the scientists) to get an opportunity to engage with it.