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Athlete Nomar
Feedback has been astonished—shocked—to discover that a grove of trees in northern Italy was believed to predict a solar eclipse.
You might wonder, “Are you suggesting that some thought trees could genuinely forecast solar eclipses?” Surprisingly, the answer is yes.
The partial solar eclipse occurred on October 25, 2022. Botanists led by Alessandro Chiorerio had previously inserted electrodes into Norwegian spruce trees to monitor their bioelectrical activity. In a report published in April 2025, they claimed that “Trees anticipated the eclipse and synchronized their bioelectrical behavior hours in advance, with older trees showing greater anticipatory behavior due to initial time asymmetry and increased entropy.”
Ultimately, the errors became apparent. A paper published in Trends in Plant Science on February 6th reported this finding, with insights from journalist Matthew Sparks, who should likely receive recognition for his contributions.
Authors Ariel Nowopransky and Hegyi Isak noted that the drop in sunlight during the eclipse was minimal, ensuring the trees had sufficient light. Moreover, such solar eclipses occur every 18 years or so. The oldest trees in the study, around 70 years old, may not have lived long enough to learn patterns, since solar eclipses trace various paths across the Earth’s surface.
Feedback has examined the original study, but it seems unnecessary to delve deeply to debunk it. The team only wired three trees and five stumps. While sample size isn’t everything, it does matter.
The paper also includes a lengthy section on “Theoretical Analysis of Quantum Field Theory.” Yes, the Q word! “A tree is open, thus dissipative. The system continuously exchanges (releases and receives) matter and energy with the environment in various forms.” Aging of the system and the evolution of time (arrow of time) are discussed, although after the first paragraph’s analysis, it felt like we entered a quantum state where we lost interest.
Interestingly, the electrical activity of the trees was synchronized in the 14 hours leading up to the eclipse. How can we explain this? Novoplansky and Isak suggested, “A total of 664 lightning strikes occurred from October 22 to 25, 2022,” including three strikes within 10 kilometers of the site during the 14 hours prior to the eclipse. Perhaps that’s a factor.
Please Don’t Spill It
Continuing our theme of “People inadvertently sending out amusing press releases,” Feedback received great news about tea.
“Recent scientific research indicates that consuming a daily cup of tea can offer heart-healthy benefits, with growing evidence supporting its effects on cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation, and blood clotting.” As regular tea drinkers, Feedback finds this news uplifting—especially for Mrs. Feedback, whose bloodstream is approximately 70% tea.
Who delivered this news? The Tea Advisory Committee of course. Feedback had not previously heard of them, although their website claims they are “supported by the organization” and receive a restricted educational grant from the UK Tea & Infusions Association, the trade association for the UK tea industry. Their purpose is to “provide the media with unbiased information about the health benefits of black tea.”
The final statement of the press release reads: “Previous research has indicated that the ideal amount is four cups of tea daily, yet only a third (35%) of Brits report drinking three to four cups a day. Our challenge, as tea experts and nutritional scientists, is to ensure the public understands the heart health benefits of tea.” Feedback has more details, but we adore espresso.
Universal and Free
In our ongoing quest to identify exemplary and flawed technical abbreviations, Feedback uncovered a fantastic initiative undertaken by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University.
The concept is straightforward. From Legos to Stickle Bricks, a myriad of construction toys exists. However, they often lack interoperability; with few exceptions, you can’t connect parts from different systems.
Golan Levin and Shawn Sims took it upon themselves to create an open-source 3D printable adapter that allows components from various construction systems to be combined. If you own a 3D printer, you can download the design for free and fabricate your own hybrid toy.
It’s quite impressive. The designers explain their goal to enable “radically hybrid constructive play, creating designs previously deemed impossible, ultimately providing more creative opportunities for children” and to deliver “a public service that corporate interests cannot or will not fulfill.”
Feedback believes this kit deserves wide usage. However, we suspect that the name “Free Universal Construction Kit” might limit its appeal to parents somewhat.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
