MY AMERICAN SCIENTIST
LOG IN! REGISTER!
SEARCH
 
RSS
Logo
HOME > SCIENCE IN THE NEWS > Science Detail

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY

Scientists Tap into Tree Power

from the Boston Globe (Registration Required)

Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery behind the source of a faint electrical current in trees-and it wasn't as hard as they thought. For years, inventors and scientists have driven nails into trees, wired those nails to nearby metal spikes, and wondered at the faint but predictable electrical current that resulted.

Explanations for the power source ranged from a static energy field in the earth's crust, to the possibility it was generated through rust and corrosion, similar to the old do-it-yourself potato clock experiments.

Now, a team of MIT scientists, using platinum electrodes and everyday ficus house plants, have found that the faint current actually comes from an imbalance in pH between the soil and a living tree. And that discovery is already sparking discussions about novel ways to use that electricity-including as a power source for a tree's own fire alarm.

Read more...

 

Subscribe to Our Content!

Visit our RSS Feeds page to choose among 13 customized feeds, or create a free My AmSci account to request an email notice whenever a specified author, department or discipline appears online.


EMAIL TO A FRIEND :

Of Possible Interest

Science In The News Daily: Sacrificing the Desert to Save the Earth

Science In The News Daily: Plants Swap Chloroplasts Via Grafts

Science In The News Daily: How to Overhaul the Way Buildings Use Energy

Subscribe to American Scientist

Sites of Interest

Duxbury Ventures Website Investments

Social Justice

Find Websites Worth

München Fair Hotels

ABC Fundraising

Promotional Products

Business Cards

Car Hire

Get a Gold Ira at Regal Assets.

Online Shopping