Category Archives: Science

Helping Kids Learn About Plastics

All Essays, Science, , , ,

Hi Brandon, 

I just wanted to write you to thank you very much for coming and speaking to my class last week! I know the kids were a little restless due to the miscommunication of their schedule but they definitely took a lot away from the talk. We have just started sending emails and setting up meeting times with our targets.   Once again thank you for taking the time to help motivate the students even more in their fight against plastic!

Best, Skylar

Skylar W. Knight  University of San Francisco Arts and Sciences | Biology Biology Department | Peer Adviser Phi Delta Theta CA Chi | Warden

Pruning

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, Science,

PRUNING

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

Harper’s face was pressed against what remained of the window. The wind coming through the jagged hole offered a welcomed breeze.

Again she was lulled, but this time with a profound sense of despair. Only her father’s words from long-ago broke through:

Pruning is perhaps the most important aspect of horticulture. In the horticultural world, we try to mimic nature. In the natural arena, there are frosts, drought, stampedes, insects, constant nibbling by creatures, viruses and bacterium and any number of possible assaults to decimate foliage.

This is by far the hardest thing for most people. It is difficult for them to ‘hurt’ the branch or cut away part of something that is living. The result is that much energy is spent on unhealthy parts that should have been removed. 

In nature, the weak and unhealthy are eliminated without a hesitation. Pruning, and I mean hard pruning, enables the root and stem structure to become more established, thus retaining and distributing nutrients to the healthy parts of the plant. The plant on the whole has a chance to regenerate itself without the burden of the old and diseased material.

The most important thing to do in your life is diligent pruning. Cut off damaged parts that hold you down and take energy away from your growth. It is imperative your expenditures are directed to healthy endeavors. And when I say ‘hard pruning,’ Harper Morgan Smith, I mean not only do you need to cut hard, cutting away the damaged parts and disposing of them entirely, I mean it will be hard to accomplish. It will take a great deal of perseverance, and perhaps reliving the hurt, in order to rid yourself of the burden.

But it will be worth the pain.

The Cork Oak

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, Science, ,

THE CORK OAK

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

Her mind traveled back in time to a picnic she prepared for her father by the Carmel River.

The majestic Cork Oak, he told her, Quercus suber, grows to 60 feet both wide and high and has an incredible bark structure. The gnarly thick cork is the bark of commerce. That lovely cabernet I enjoyed last night was protected by that mighty oak’s ‘skin.’

The oak displays a rich palette of color and texture. The leaves have a waxy deep green surface while the under leaf is a fuzzy grey. The cork bark can get up to a foot thick and uses the principles of torque to achieve its abstract geometrical branching form.

The very attribute this giant embraces for her notoriety, as well as her protection, is the one attribute that causes her downfall.

A common trait in humans.

Lovers and winemakers have desecrated her bark for millenniums. The vintners of ancient times only needed a primitive knife to seal their latest fermentations, while lovers carved eternal inscriptions. Nowadays, industrial wine merchants ravage her completely.

Even the industrious woodpecker takes advantage of her soft temperament to shove her own acorns into her skin, assaulting her inner anatomy as they hunt for wood boring beetles.

Each one of these assaults is small individually, but when accumulated over time, can take down the benevolent elder, the damage becoming irreversible. Each little jab, every insult, all moments of disrespect can result in disease and an eventual structural breakdown.

People’s personal relationships are exactly like the life of this giant sentinel. A personal relationship is the sum of its parts. The twists and turns of human relationships result in a whole being, each event causes branching in a new direction, thus further stabilizing the overall structure. When nutrients and illumination are added, the fundamental structure will strengthen.

However, in human interaction, each small jab, every tiny insult, even if waived off with a hand, leaves a hole. The natural process can survive the myriad insults life bestows on you gladly and in perpetuity. Winemakers and lovers readily leave their marks. Yes, there will be a few old initials carved on your own bark, but one must work hard so the holes do not overcome your own well-being. To protect your personal structure, walk away from anything inflicting little holes, for enough of them can take you down.

Nutrition in 2050—Increased CO2 Changing Plant Nutrients

All Essays, Science, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nutrition in 2050—Increased CO2 Changing Plant Nutrients

Low levels of dietary iron and zinc can facilitate a multitude of assaults to the human condition. When humans are lacking in these nutrients, they can suffer a weakened immune system, anemia, low IQ, and reduced energy levels. Approximately 2 billion people suffer from iron and zinc deficiencies worldwide.

Recent experiments based on wheat, peas, soybeans, and rice have shown that high levels of CO2 decrease the plant material’s iron, zinc, and even protein levels between 5 and 10%. Unfortunately, these are the crops that supply 70% of these nutrients to a hungry and malnourished planet.

Just this April, carbon dioxide levels were recorded for the first time (since records have been kept) at or above 400 parts per million across the entire northern hemisphere. This is 150% of the levels in pre-industrial times – in about a 100 year span. A nanosecond in geological time.

The experiments elevated the carbon dioxide levels to between 546 and 586 ppm. This is the level that scientists expect to see in some parts of the world by around 2050. Projected population in 2050 is about 9.6 billion (up 38% from 2010).

With all these mouths to feed – and nourish – humans will be hard pressed to fulfill their dietary needs in the future. Perhaps we could ban together and make some changes.

It’s a small planet…

 

Fertilizer Philosophy

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, All Essays, Science, ,

FERTILIZER PHILOSOPHY

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

The warm glow of her father’s speech enraptured her.

Fertilizers are tricky, you know. There are the big three: Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Nitrogen for greening, phosphorous for flowering and bud set, and potassium for root and stem structure. There are the micronutrients: calcium, sulfur, and manganese. Iron and some trace elements are also necessary.

The funny thing is that if a horticulturist applies fertilizer incorrectly, either in a concentration too high or with too many applications, the plant suffers what is called fertilizer ‘burn.’

Amazingly, fertilizers are salts. Salts have a negative charge; the root nodes that are their targets have a positive charge. When applied in the proper ratio, one negative attracts to one positive. The necessary nutrient is then extracted from the salt and sent up into the plant material.

When the ratio is upset, the salts attach en masse to the root nodes, plugging them up, and the plant gets nothing. Not only that, salts ‘burn’ the roots just like when you put salt on a snail.

Too much of a good thing, I would say.

People’s lives are just like that, Harper. When you are older, you will meet people with improper ratios. Some people will be incapable of their complete growth for lack of any nutrients.

Some people have been given too much to absorb so they end up with nothing—none of the proper nutrients going into their hearts.

I knew a woman once who had everything. In fact, she had so much of everything it made her mad because, even though she had so much, she was still the same miserable person as before.

You will meet those people, Harper, and nothing you do will make them happy. But you will also meet people who have barely anything and are the happiest on the planet.

Harper smiled to herself, feeling like one of those people.

Communities

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, All Essays, Science, , ,

COMMUNITIES

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

Harper pictured the dynamic Dr. Merrill leading his class. When he lectured in the areas of his passion, no professor was more riveting or intellectually stimulating. She was inspired by his presentations, enthralled by the purity of his intent:

Plant communities and their health are the crucial elements of natural survival. Take the plight of the commercially produced strawberry. Driscoll Inc. has, as we speak, 180,000 acres of strawberry fields grown with one and only one variety of fragaria. This is called monoculture: Note: this will be on the midterm. 

The result in the case of predators, including fungus, insects, virus, and bacteria, is that when any plant in the group gets infected, the rest of the population is not only susceptible, but likely to succumb. The grower has to overdose the fields with methyl bromide to combat crop devastation.

The purpose for plant communities is that different varieties exhibit different growing habits, harbor beneficial predators, attract a variety of pollinators … well, the list is endless. In the natural arena, speaking generally, one variety will house the insect or bacteria that will inhibit the pest of its neighbor. Another good neighbor may drop seed pods that can alter the local pH, stalling a bacterial infection.

Perhaps more importantly, each member of the plant community occupies a different niche. In a natural habitat, you have the arboreal members, the vining members, the low semi-herbaceous shrubs, the taller woody shrubs, the annuals, the perennials, etc. Each member inhabits its own area of expertise in order to thrive. It is imperative for the habitat that each position be filled and functioning.

Human communities are no different. If all the members of the community have the same function, who will harbor the beneficials? If we have all annuals, what will the pollinators and predators do during the dormant season without perennials? Nature is, by design, a place for all different types of inhabitants. If a habitat shuns one of its natives, the community is out of balance and will eventually expire.

I guarantee the concept of ‘tolerance’ was not ever an issue in a natural situation. If you fulfill your niche in your own community, you will thrive and be a crucial contribution to the whole.

Branching Structure

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, Science, , ,

BRANCHING STRUCTURE

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

Harper was mesmerized by the motion as darkness fell. She never felt so much at home, in her own element, as when surrounded by plant life. Here, she felt embraced by the lush green foliage, lulling her into a comfortable space which felt soothing after so much turmoil in her personal life. As she immersed herself in the comfort and beauty of her surroundings, she couldn’t help hearing her father’s voice:

The deciding factors of a tree’s branching structure are both numerous and mysterious. Sunlight availability, the growth hormone and communicator auxin, as well as nutrients, genes, and sheer physics dictate branching geometry. Mathematics play a huge role in branching in that many species use the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci numbers to form branching structures, especially in the whorl forms.

Without the proper branching design, continuously adjusting to physical and environmental challenges, the tree not only cannot compete for sunlight but will topple in the forest. An overabundance of foliage on one side will eventually succumb to gravity.

When you grow up, Harper, you must branch out in many directions in order to achieve balance in your life. Any branch too heavy in one direction will bring you down. If you do not branch at all, you will not receive the necessary nutrients to flourish.

I know it is sometimes petrifying because you will most certainly fail. Humans unfortunately do not have the brilliant auxin as a guide. Well, in actuality we do; it is called a brain. However, humans have the misfortune of desires and ego which will perpetually cloud our branching strategies.

If you do not branch, and branch well, you will sit on the forest floor and be stunted, never showing the true beauty of a perfectly balanced person. It takes much work, Sapling, constantly stretching away from the known.

But you must.

The Holdfast

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, All Essays, Science, , , , , ,

THE HOLDFAST

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

She breathed deeply as her father’s voice took her back to the one summer she spent with him…

Although not a plant per se, as there is no real root system, sea kelp is the perfect instrument of photosynthesis. Most people don’t know or care much about kelp species, although many of the products they use on a daily basis, such as toothpaste and shampoo, are made with kelp ingredients.

In fact, most botanists are not even aware that kelp forests have both annual and perennial members. Nereocystis and Agarum display a very similar growing habit to your basic cyclical terrestrial forest.

Growing up to six inches a day under the most strenuous of circumstances, kelp is the most sustainable organism on this planet.

The kelp’s most amazing attribute is the ‘holdfast.’ Not a root, mind you, a holdfast. Just because the root structure is not conventional doesn’t mean it is not superbly suited to its function.

Without your own ‘holdfast,’ Harper, you will float away and get caught up with the torrents and predators of life. Due to circumstances beyond your control, you have no proper root structure. You must develop your own ‘holdfast’ —and it must be strong.

Extremely strong.

Luck

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, All Essays, Science, , , , , ,

LUCK

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

Cineraria Flowers Pictures (16)

Her father stooped over the beautifully clustered cineraria stellata and offered a rare smile.

My old friend Dr. Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire did a study on why some people are lucky. He told me that among those people he tested, the ones who rated themselves as lucky scored markedly higher in the area of extroversion. Their extroversion significantly increased the likelihood of having a lucky chance encounter.

So-called lucky people are more likely to notice chance opportunities, even when they are not expecting them. They are open to new experiences and like the notion of unpredictability.

She giggled like any twelve-year-old girl at the thought of her stern father an extrovert. She was even surprised he had an old friend as he only occasionally socialized, and then only with his botanical colleagues.

“Father, why do you think of that when you are with the cineraria?”

Harper, you are a perceptive little one. Our lovely stellata is the horticultural embodiment of the conceptual state of luck. She lives in clusters with her sisters, languishing sublimely in the under-story of large, shady protectors. She harbors collections of bright, small star shaped flowers, thus her name stellata, and has a free and easy growing habit.

When stellata finishes her mirthful display, her seed pods float away in a feathery shower with the others, in a sleepy respite, secretly promising an amazing spring. The many clusters of flowers and resulting seed pods increase her chances of successful replication in her environment with many serendipitous opportunities to thrive in suitable locations.

 Stellata has every advantage to enhance her luck and is tenacious in her pursuit to thrive. It would be wise to apply her credo to our daily lives in the knowledge that luck is what we make it.

Upright

"PURSUIT - YA KUWINDA" Excerpts, All Essays, Science, , , , , , , , , , ,

UPRIGHT

Excerpt from PURSUIT: Ya Kuwinda.
This is Book #1 in Brandon’s Pursuit Series.
The newly-revised 2nd Edition was released in 2018.

She was walking through the Monterey pine and cypress forest, head bent, stooping deeply while inspecting the soil. She remembered what her father had told her, “Always remember to look up.” She hadn’t fully comprehended what he had meant; her nose was always to the grindstone. Always remember to look up? What kind of advice is that?

The coastal pine forest in Central California was an incredible place, almost holy—the soil a deep chocolate mélange of organic materials, a fusty, rich womb of fundamental creation. She embraced it every morning: the dawn with perfectly descending sunlit fingers, toying with wisps of fog and ferns as they casually touched down upon a pristine landscape, like the forest was immaculately tended by tiny invisible terrestrial gardeners.

The smell of the land, the soft indirect lighting and the slight chill in the air, even in the summer, had enticed her onto her life’s path. She felt most at home in the arms of Mother Nature. Living for the moment in that forest and remembering her father’s words, she did look up, just out of curiosity. She saw a grove of the structurally impressive Cupressus macrocarpa, the legendary Monterey cypress, and marveled at its architecture.

She spied a spectacular 100-foot Pinus radiata—a Monterey pine. This stately tree should have been extinct years ago and, as such, the species was riddled by countless insidious pests. Wood boring beetles, viruses, and a host of other denigrators had caused this large, 150-year-old specimen to topple onto a lower sapling. The young tree lay at a 45-degree angle, smothered by the ancient, dying pine. The tip of the sapling was stubbornly raising its head up to the sky, perpendicular to the forest floor.

Harper’s memory wandered back to that precious summer with her father so long ago.

Every human strives to be upright whether they are aware of it or not. Even if he or she has had the worst possible situations descend upon them, forced to the ground, they will struggle to stay upright. Look around you in the forest, child; you will see it happen over and over. You can see the young saplings leaning, stretching, and clamoring to find their place in the sun. When they get established in their own particular spot, they reach for the sky in perfect harmony with the light, the earth, and in alignment with sheer gravity.

This is what you must do, my little sapling. Take the blows dealt to you and use them to support your stature. The upright life you lead will be a beacon for the rest of the forest.

She smiled softly. She would have given anything for more time with her father.