Is Tree Power in Our Future?

This is a typical "gee whiz" "scientific" notion that has all the decimal points about four places off. But since when do reporters know how to do arithmetic? Or when or why or just what arithmetic...?

I dunno, it all sounds barking (OK, self-slapping for bad pun is in progress).

These potentials were investigated as evidence of electrical fields as organizing growth by Harold Saxton Burr in the 1930's. Much is to be found in the Yale Journal Of Biology And Medicine . There is also current interest in the slow fluctuations of standing potentials on the human body as state indicating variables. Ovulation shows in potential difference between forefingers. As for power from this source, not so much.

Some of the 'green' bloggers troll the MİT web site looking for wonderful new things that they have no idea what they are to post and be cool. MİT noticed this and now seem to post every thing they can think of as it gets their name ever more recognized and the guy with the MİT site seems to like the notice. Most of the posts are about basic research and will never see the light of day (outside the lab). The one in a thousand that may be of some use is probably 20 years or more from really coming to public notice. The tree thing falls into the really basic group - say 3rd grade.

retruction - Sinday is a butch for hangover. All comment intended, but the spelling quotra wuz betond my u8ssusal bist standadards.

Kris. Please stop banging on about the UK pushing useless degrees etc. Even if it does make your blood boil. I happen to be a Brit working as an Engineer in the USA. I know both perspectives. I have interviewed approx 50 Americans for jobs while over here, and I think our 2 countries are more alike than dis-alike.

In the UK we also put potential hires through psychometric testing, skills testing etc. We don't just demand degrees. In the US I look for skills before qualifications. Unfortunately the attributes that you miss when you hire based on skills alone are usually the basic academic ones, such as lack of being able to put a technical report together, spelling, computer skills etc. A degreed (or O level, ONC / HNC type person) will have these skills, as well as the experience to carry the job.

I don't see it as blood boiling stuff, and you make some very sweeping generalized statements, which I personally would hold back from, I think you may be leaning towards mis-leading a lot of people about the UK. Read your blog a few times, it makes less and less sense. " I could rant like crazy on this topic". I think you already have.

Not all jobs on this planet require the ability to put together a technical report, spell, or use a computer. Such jobs are every bit as valuable as those requiring more extensive academic knowledge, they simply don't require 3 + years of tertiary academic training. A newly qualified graduate will not have the job experience as somebody who'd been in the workplace since 16/18.

I guess one has to take the extrordinary discovery's with the not so extrodinary discovey's

That is true but the ratio is like a million to one! The bloggers don't care as they will get paid by the hit anyway.

Hey all together!

It seems to me, that there is hidden a fundamental error still in the question.

mV or V is not a power, but a electrical potential difference between to points. If you want to know the force, you will have to put a resistance between those two points and measure A(mps) and then after a second you may talk about power!

Is there no idea about electricity and teir laws?

oe1shs

An infamous prize should be in play between the OP for his double mistake (if you mistake one thing, you're wrong twice), and the reputed MIT for such a (I don't even know how to call it) !. I'd be more interested on the results if they had used their butt-cheeks instead of trees!

Disappointing !!

Yahlasit

Yes, that works good. I am training 2 flies to pull my wheel barrow. Only 60 trees to charge my car battery, and probably just only 350 years?

As far as I know this invention of electrical potential is an old one (I personally have read it in my younger age in Science or some other journal) and I am not talking about the signals of JC Bose. It is this specific one, only the milli or microwatts available was not found to be lucrative.

I have a better suggestion to the MITs - what about tapping this same electrical signals from the heads of homo sapiens? after all already (or in near future) there are likely to be more of them than trees. And another likely high density electrical area is the heart.