Category Archives: Science

TREEBEARD AND OTHER ENTS.

TREEBEARD AND OTHER ENTS. The trees in Wohlleben’s book remind me of Treebeard and the other ents who play such a critical part in THE LORD OF THE RINGS—long-lived, tall, stately, loyal to each other, slow moving much of the … Continue reading

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ANTHROMORPHIZING TREES.

ANTHROMORPHIZING TREES. Alva Noe is a philosopher and recognizes the problems that arise from imagining trees as thinking. He says: “I suspect Wohlleben knows that it may be possible to explain what trees do and how they interact without attributing … Continue reading

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TREES WHO ARE TRUE FRIENDS.

TREES WHO ARE TRUE FRIENDS.. In Chapter 1 of his book (which is entitled “Friendships”), Wohlleben romanticizes the relationships that can arise between trees, based on connections that he cannot specify: “It is in the degree of connection—or maybe even … Continue reading

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HOW DO TREES COORDINATE THEIR ACTIVITIES?

HOW DO TREES COORDINATE THEIR ACTIVITIES? It is important to point out, in light of Wohlleben’s poetic view of trees as social beings, that there is scientific evidence supporting his contentions. Noe says: “Wohlleben enumerates myriad ways in which trees … Continue reading

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DO TREES COORDINATE THEIR ACTIVITIES ?

DO TREES COORDINATE THEIR ACTIVITIES? Peter Wohlleben offers an explanation of mast years. It could be, of course, that each tree has the same reaction to a stimulus. However Wohlleben contends that trees can and do coordinate their activities. His … Continue reading

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WHY DO OAKS HAVE MAST YEARS?

WHY DO OAKS HAVE MAST YEARS? The phenomenon of mast years, with “prodigious” amounts of acorns, has been known for a long time. This wikipedia entry says that the word “‘mast’ comes from the old English word “mæst”, meaning the … Continue reading

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LOTS OF ACORNS AND LOTS OF CHIPMUNKS.

LOTS OF ACORNS AND LOTS OF CHIPMUNKS. Earlier this summer, I was chatting with our mailman about chipmunks I had seen, and he told me that he and all the rest of the mailmen at our post office had taken … Continue reading

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CATCHING A GRAPE IN YOUR MOUTH DROPPED FROM 101 FEET HIGH.

CATCHING A GRAPE IN YOUR MOUTH DROPPED FROM 101 FEET HIGH. Tyler Cowan on the Marginal Revolution site reports here on the feat of catching a grape dropped from 101 feet high in your mouth. The grapes were walnut sized … Continue reading

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FERMI PROBLEMS.

FERMI PROBLEMS. The piano tuner problem is an example of a Fermi problem, which is named after Enrico Fermi, the great nuclear physicist. Fermi was known for using the method of estimation for producing an answer to a Fermi problem … Continue reading

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A STATISTICAL METHOD FOR ESTIMATING HOW MANY PIANO TUNERS THERE ARE IN CHICAGO.

A STATISTICAL METHOD FOR ESTIMATING HOW MANY PIANO TUNERS THERE ARE IN CHICAGO. The method used to estimate the number of rats in New York City is reminiscent of the answer to the question: How many piano tuners are there … Continue reading

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