the non-danger of microwaved water
Hmm, it's nice of the people at Snopes.com to send a reply to my submission about the danger of microwaved water, an email I got that I knew wasn't true because it defied common sense, my knowledge about how microwave works, and the idea of scientific methods, in which you must do experiments carefully and repeatedly, making sure to get rid of all the variables in an experiment, except for the water. But having the crew there confirm it by classifying it a false urban legend makes me satisfied I have the backing of their knowledge.
The article listed many of the variables that could make one plant grow worse than the other, such as compromised seed, placement, or water contaminated by the container used to hold them (not by microwave).
For my perspective: I remember, from reading Fifth Chinese Daughter, about the author's grandmother who sprouted a large number of seeds in water before planting them in the soil. As the seeds developed, she weeded out the seeds that didn't grow well, throwing them away. This is the image that most stuck to my mind, that plants themselves can be variable in growth.
The only way to ensure that you're getting rid of variables, would be to grow one plant from one seed, and to split it into two so you would have two plants of the same seed. Then you need to use stimulated sunlight because outdoor sunlight, or sunlight by the window can be unreliable. This ensure that only water could affect the plants.
That said, the other thing to think about is a biological phenomenon known as Tropism, in which organisms (such as plants) can grow differently in response to environmental stimulus, including touch, known as thigmotropism. Anything could affect how plants grow, and water is always H2O, nothing done through microwave or boiling will split or change the chemical composition of water.
The article listed many of the variables that could make one plant grow worse than the other, such as compromised seed, placement, or water contaminated by the container used to hold them (not by microwave).
For my perspective: I remember, from reading Fifth Chinese Daughter, about the author's grandmother who sprouted a large number of seeds in water before planting them in the soil. As the seeds developed, she weeded out the seeds that didn't grow well, throwing them away. This is the image that most stuck to my mind, that plants themselves can be variable in growth.
The only way to ensure that you're getting rid of variables, would be to grow one plant from one seed, and to split it into two so you would have two plants of the same seed. Then you need to use stimulated sunlight because outdoor sunlight, or sunlight by the window can be unreliable. This ensure that only water could affect the plants.
That said, the other thing to think about is a biological phenomenon known as Tropism, in which organisms (such as plants) can grow differently in response to environmental stimulus, including touch, known as thigmotropism. Anything could affect how plants grow, and water is always H2O, nothing done through microwave or boiling will split or change the chemical composition of water.
Labels: random
posted by Alan at August 09, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home