I love science

by Chris
(LA, Ca, USA)

Science Is Not a Script - Science isn't about agreeing with the loudest voice. You have to notice what feels wrong, ask why, and be brave enough to test it.

Chris tells us: I did this science fair project where I tested whether plants grew better with classical music. It was a great learning experience that I loved all along the way. Everyone in my class was able to get into this experience. I would recommend this project to everyone.

Barry's Response - I'm still wondering, Chris. Do plants grow better in the presence of classical music?

So how are plants affected by music? The ideal experiment would have different types of music in the lab for different plants to grow by. Make sure they are in separate rooms so the there is no cross contamination from one to the next.

Also have a control room, where there is no music at all. Above all, make sure all other conditions such as temperature, water and light are equal.

Log or photograph the progress of these plants on a regular, perhaps daily, basis. Who wins? Most results I have seen from an experiment of this sort showed that plants in a classical music environment did best, those with no music second and those with rock did most poorly.

Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix kills plants, claimed one experimenter. They turned away from the speakers while they could, apparaently.

For those who think this is a load of fertilizer, well, it turns out that in a 2001 Oxford study, according to one reporter, classical music worked better for the plants' health than...fertilizer.

I wouldn't kid you.

Search this site for more information now.

Science lets me argue with the world

Science is awesome because it doesn't ask me to clap. It asks me to measure.

When something bugs you, science starts. Why clouds form that way, or Before a storm, the wind shifts. Why one neighborhood's air feels heavy and sharp, while another's feels clean and fresh. Science lovers don't swallow answers, they chew them.

Try the plant-and-music experiment. It sounds silly until you think about it. Vibration is sound. Air moves when vibrations happen. Leaves lose water differently when the air moves. Plants breathe differently because of that. Suddenly, this isn't magic — it's physics, biology, and fluid flow.

Zoom out.

It's the same with the atmosphere. Wind is driven by pressure differences. Energy moves with temperature gradients. Humidity controls clouds, rain, and how pollution behaves after it leaves a tailpipe or smokestack. Politics don't matter to air. Sometimes it breaks our expectations, sometimes it follows equations.

That's why weather forecasts don't work. That's why climate graphs disagree. It's why honest scientists say "likely" instead of "certain."

Here's where things get spicy.

There are some people who say the science is settled. Others say nature speaks louder than models. They're both right - and afraid. The real science lives in the tension between them. Meteorology learned this the hard way. Chaos is what we do for a living. Storms start with tiny changes. The long-term average hides the short-term truth. A natural cycle like the ocean, solar patterns, or volcanic dust doesn't ask permission to change the climate.

The same goes for air quality. It's all about emissions. It's the same with weather and geography. We don't fully understand chemistry either. The person who says one factor explains everything is selling comfort, not truth.

It doesn't mean we stop caring. We start thinking about it.

There's room for responsibility and skepticism here. Stewardship without panic. We don't have to pretend we control creation to care for it. Humility, restraint, and honesty are key.

We like random ideas

Build a question no one likes if you love science. Give it a try. Let's break it. Someone can argue back.

Make a barometer out of a jar. Keep an eye on the pressure before snow. Take wind measurements where buildings twist it. Find out why pollution spikes on calm nights. Find out why models disagree. Why doesn't nature behave?

Young people grow science when they push, not when they nod. If this made you curious, annoyed, excited, or ready to argue... That's great.

Let me know what you think. Let us know what you'd test next.