Facts are supposed to provide us with a sense of clarity and certainty. But sometimes they can be strange and confusing too, especially if we just look at them superficially. Take the case of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system.
Jupiter first. To a superstitious person on
Jupiter, the Sun would look like a blazing dot, and would seem to follow two
distinctively strange elliptical orbital patterns and hence it would seem that
his planet was jinxed. Factually this is a consequence of the unique location of the Sun-Jupiter
center of mass (barycenter). The location is outside the Sun, making them
perform a loose binary dance rather than a simple planet-star orbit. Seemingly jinxed, but certainly not!
Now consider Saturn. Its core consists mostly of
hydrogen and helium, both of which are odorless, while its atmosphere has methane,
ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, water vapor, phosphene, ethane, acetylene,
propane. Its upper atmosphere has ammonia clouds that would smell like strong
cleaning fluid, while deeper layers with hydrogen sulfide might smell faintly
of rotten eggs. To a human being trying to penetrate this atmosphere, the
planet would stink! But only if the human olfactory sense can survive the
journey through its clouds.
In this series of blog posts during 2026, I hope to
discuss facts that may seem strange at first glance, but which could otherwise
be explained. I will focus on one factoid every month.
The factoid for this
month is Wood Wide Web.
We have often overheard gardeners talk about locating
different species of seeds and saplings in ways that would ensure that the
desired ones had the best chances of survival. Such conversations also hinted
about the challenges of weeds and parasites competing with the main plants for soil
nutrients.
But are these ‘garden rules, based on universal truths
about how plants really survive in the wild?
Would you believe that the plant kingdom, especially
those that thrive in the forests, have now been scientifically studied in
detail and they exhibit an uncanny parallelism to the digital communication
technology invented by humans, namely the world wide web!
Yes, trees talk to each other very intimately and
efficiently!
The "Wood Wide Web" is the
underground network of fungi (mycorrhizae) connecting tree roots, allowing them
to share water, nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) and chemical signals,
essentially forming a forest's communication system.
It has now been revealed that a symbiotic network exists
which helps older trees support seedlings, warns of dangers, and facilitates a
complex exchange of resources.
It means that we must now transform our view of
forests from individual trees to interconnected ecosystems. Let’s look at a few
of the elements in this wood wide web.
Fiber-optic cables: Fungal filaments (mycelia) form vast underground webs
that link tree roots.
Resource sharing: Trees send sugars to fungi, and in return, fungi
provide water and minerals, effectively expanding the tree's root system.
Communication: Trees use the network to send chemical messages,
warning neighbors about pests or drought.
Angel Support system: Large "mother trees" can send carbon and
nutrients to shaded seedlings, increasing their survival chances.
Enormity of Scale: These networks are massive, with immense lengths of
fungal hyphae under forests.
Open architecture versus Cybersecurity: It's not always altruistic; some plants might steal
resources, while most others rely on cooperation; and hence the dynamics of
competition versus cooperation decide on the natural vibrancy of forest-growth.
Interesting factoid, don’t you agree? If you also want
a funny one, here is one:
