Sustainable fertilizer may be easier than we think. This is actually a much bigger issue than it seems, since the current practice of using fossil fuels to create fertilizers for industrial farming means that we use 10 Calories of energy for every 1 Calorie of food produced. This is obviously not a sustainable practice for very long. The question is though, will people be willing to pee on their salads before eating them?
Using Blue Whales' Perfect Pitch to Drive People Insane
FINALLY!! Biology has a mad scientist. Too long only chemists and physicists were allowed to hatch mad schemes to take over the world.
I have only to gather a pod of blue whales in the harbor of some Pacific coastal town and make them direct their song landward. The synchronized infrasonic hum, deafening yet inaudible, has the potential to cause anything from high blood pressure to incipient madness in the townspeople. At the very least, it'll produce a hum that some people can hear and others can't, which would be unbearably annoying.
39 comments:
First off, the fact that the USA follows a 10:1 ratio of used energy to gained energy in the production of food is shocking, yet not an utter surprise; Americans are notoriously wasteful. However, due to this, the earth's ecosystem is suffering. The amount of arable land, per person in the world has been on a steady decline since 1961. Furthermore, the article states that throughout the past 40 years, approximately one-third of the cropland on earth has been abandoned due to soil erosion and degradation, and that the rate of natural replenishment of fertile soil would take 3000 years to reach the minimal soil depth for agricultural production. This not only is shocking.. its unacceptable. I realized a new system of food production was not only a beneficial route.. it was an essential one. That's where the utilization of urine as fertilizer comes in.
Using urine as a source of fertilization for crops may seem gross and wrong, yet that is not the case. This practice is scientifically backed and effective. At first, i thought to myself that urinating on a plant would be malevolent to the plant's vitality.. yet now that i think of it, that wouldn't be the case at all! Human urine is a hydrating, nurturing substance to plants. It is shocking to see how such an easy, dare i say comical, idea has the potential to be such a success. My grandmother has a very large garden and her vegetation always thrives beyond belief; i always wondered how she grew such big vegetables...
In regard to the blue whale article, i find it enthralling that the whales have the ability to produce a sound that makes humans so vulnerable. It was jaw-dropping to read that certain pitches (as the article states, those 20Hz and below) could cause such disaster to a human. I never would've guessed a certain pitch range harbors the ability to alter and worsen human blood pressure, breathing and balance. Incredible. Good choice of articles Dr. H, all were intriguing.
Amazing! Man just keeps finding ways to make life somewhat easy. Although weird and kind of nasty, like the fecal transplant, using human urine as fertilizers for the industrial farming. When supplies run out and the farming industry needs to produce faster, farmers and their family can just pee!!! But the thought of that makes me feel very grimy inside. if ever that was one of the choices to make production faster then it would be better to not tell the world.
Blue whales are awesome. its amazing how we are suppose to be the best evolved organisms, but we cant make the pitch that a blue whale can. annoying pitches like the blue whales' can definately be a good weapon to get an annoying roommate out of the house or an unwanted crasher. the pitch, if able to be recreated by man, can be used as a weapon in war, annoying or distracting the enemy.
The article "Using Blue Whales' Perfect Pitch to Drive People Insane" was amusing; I think this scientist might actually be insane. The synchronized infrasonic hum blue whales can provide reminds of me of the "mosquito ringtone" that certain troublemakers play during class. As if that sound didn't drive me crazy enough, now I have to worry about a chorus of deafening, high-pitched whales that probably not even earplugs will alleviate.
"Pees and carrots" was an interesting article; environmental scientists have found another way that humans can give back to the earth...literally. Human urine contains the essential nutrients that plants need to flourish, which is highly beneficial on both sides, we are able to eat rich, nourishing organic food, and the plants are fed with a nutritious fertilizer. However, I do agree with the article; urine has gross-out potential and it would be hard for our society to accustom to this type of fertilization. I think I would be a little uncomfortable eating vegetables that were enriched with human urine.
The article about using human urine as fertilizer produces substantially compelling arguments against mineral fertilization. It’s amazing that an adult male will fill three bathtubs of urine each year solely by himself. If the US decided to switch to urine fertilization, each family could fertilize their own plants by themselves without depending on other mineral fertilizers. The article also stated convincing facts that using urine as fertilizer would produce larger products of agriculture and be more cost productive. Urine fertilization seems like the perfect way to provide plants with the nutrients they need while producing larger outputs on produce and income for humans.
As for the article about blue whales, I find it interesting that you can jump to world domination from the sounds emanated by blue whales. In order to achieve your quest for world domination, the echo of the whales’ cries would have to cause some sort of mind control reaction. If the whales’ cries caused a lack of focus on behalf of the humans you would be on the verge of achieving your dreams. But the fact that the whales’ cries have reportedly caused, human blood pressure changes, breathing and balance instabilities, and visual hallucinations, shows just how amazing these creatures are. Furthermore, the fact that the sounds they emit can only be heard by a select group of individuals is astounding. Even though these blue whales can’t carry out your dreams of dominating the world, they still have amazing features that are unique amongst undersea world.
Shocking! You would have never thought that human pee could fertilize and even increase the size of crops! The comment about the social acceptance of a unique looking toilet was a little surprising but I think people would use it due to them saving money in the long run. What came to my mind was that if human pee can do this, what about other animals pee? Just looking in my backyard and seeing brown grass spots due to my dogs peeing there kind of puts a damper on this idea. Also, I'm not quite sure if people would go for the idea of 'urine fertilized' crops. Would they accept it and eat it, or would they say 'ew' and not eat it. The sanitation comment was also a shocker to me; when your urine comes out of your body, I did not even close to think it was sterile. Due to this discovery I wonder if more things are being tested to see if they work better or grow better with the use of urine and the word just hasn’t gotten out yet. As Keith said earlier, the ten to one ratio is shocking but understandable considering how inefficient the U.S. is.
Honestly, the whale article is crazy! Who would have thought that a blue whale's pitch could cause high blood pressure, visual hallucinations, feelings of annoyance or sadness, or change your breathing and balance! I agree with Arvid, this could be used in the future as a weapon against the enemy. It can do some damage, but I don’t think it would be enough to use just the whales pitch alone. This whale's noise is just incredible.
While fertilizing home gardens with urine may be both environmentally and cost friendly, I am not so sure how many Americans are willing to commit to the task. Though scientists insist that urine is sterile, just the idea of using the very fluids that the body expels to grow food is enough to persuade me otherwise. Prior to reading this article, I was led under the misconception that urine was harmful for crops. However, when using the natural fertilizer in small doses, urine's abundance in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, I learned, can even lead to the growth of larger, healthier crop.
After reading the article concerning the blue whales’ ability to produce infrasound, I wonder how scientists conducted their study of its effects on humans. I kept thinking that the people being tested on had to have been swayed by the test to react emotionally. Otherwise, how could something that is inaudible to humans have an effect on their mood? I cannot make sense of that idea.
Using urine to fertilize plants is really, really cool, even though I'd be a little grossed out eating whatever I watered with it. It would be much more practical in the long run, even if costs for remodeling the sewage systems are big. It would be especially useful for countries with water contamination problems because of the lack of treatments. In addition, it would help those same countries grow more food and counteract starvation and low exports. It should be implemented in all countries, it is sanitary and reasonable. Though gaining acceptance would be difficult.
I can honestly say that I've never thought of blue whales as dangerous until now. Though it would be dangerous, I'd definitely want to test out my own hearing and see what happens to me when I hear the song. In regards to the author's evil plottings, if the whales could be used to 'take over' towns, it would be pretty useful for small island countries... otherwise it wouldn't quite work... I also would like to know more about other animals that can produce those notes below 20 Hz. Are there any land animals who can? And how do their vocal chords work in order to hit these notes?
It is pretty amazing that something as abundant as urine can be used to help solve the problem of using 10 calories of energy for every 1 calorie of food produced. We could cut down our energy usage dramactically, as long as society would accept something that would currently be considered bararic by most people. There was a man on the show "I Shouldn't Be Alive" on Animal Planet who was stuck between a moutain and a boulder for days. He was able to live by removing his arm that was stuck under the boulder. The severing of his arm was not something he wanted to do and he was able to stay alive without water by drinking his urine. Urine is, as the atricle mentions, sterile. If you can stay alive by drinking it, for atleat a few days, it obviously can do you no harm. People should get past the stigma of using urine as fertilizer and atleast give it a try. Its proven nothing tastes different, so why not?
I bet the Sea Shepards (another Animal Planet reference) would be super excited to hear about blue whales who can drive people insane. They would use them against the Japenese whalers everyday. I think it is really amazing the every blue whale ends its song on the same exact pitch. I seriously wish chorus could do that everytime!
And Arvid, that's an awesome point. The government should work on harnassing that noise and using it against enemies, or for crowd control. It could be use as a first stage defense and would be more humane. I know things like the LRAD exsists, but I believe this pitch would be much more effective.
Human urine. Who knew it could be used to help grow plants? I think if homes and farms started using urine as fertilizer the cost to grow the plants would definitely decrease. With all the pee we produce, we'd have so much fertilizer at our disposal. The thing is however, most people would object to utilizing human waste to grow plants simply because well, it's human waste.
The whale article was really interesting. I remember hearing something about a brown note. It's a sound that when heard by a human, he/she immediately defecates his/her pants. It's quite amusing how sound can be used to manipulate humans. Seeing how this whale can produce a sound that drives people to insanity, we need to acknowledge it's power and utilize it. Paired with the directional speakers (LRAD - Long Range Acoustic Device) used in military and law enforcement, this would truly be a great weapon.
The LRAD by the way, is a speaker that focuses all of it's sound at a particular target which the operator chooses. Unlike a normal speaker which emits sounds 360 degrees around it, the LRAD only sends it in one direction.
At first, when I read the "Pees and Carrots" article, I was simultaneously intrigued and disgusted. I told my mother and aunt who were sitting near me of this new sustainable fertilizer. Instead of being grossed out like I was, they just nodded their heads and said that yes urine is good as fertilizer. I was shocked to see that they already knew that. Although this method is a bit repulsive, it's sensible and useful. I don't know if I myself would use this method because if I knew that a plant was fertilized with urine, I wouldn't eat it. For example, I am not a big fan of mushrooms, so if I see mushrooms on a pizza, I immediately take them off, but if you were to give me a sandwich without my knowing that there are mushrooms in it, I would eat it rather than complain about the mushrooms. Similarly, not knowing that you're eating cabbage or tomato fertilized by urine is the best. Besides bolstering food production and improving sanitation, this method has other benefits. The urine is right there; it doesn't take much effort to utilize this method seeing that “an adult on a typical Western diet urinates enough to fill three bathtubs” a year. Wow! This is both beneficial to us and the plants. They are getting nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus while we get nutrient-rich food. Håkan Jönsson said, "Acceptance is a big problem for this kind of system". This is a completely valid statement. People take time to adapt to different environments as well as different ideas. In this case, although it will take time to accept this method, agricultural and health organizations should definitely encourage this method as it will be advantageous to both the plants and the people. Although urine recycling means drastically altering the sewage system and using separating toilets, less water and energy is used and required. But it all comes down to, are people willing to use urine as fertilizer? And will they adapt?
Concerning the blue whale article, my response is, "that's crazy!" I never really thought these whales were a potential danger, but after reading this article, I now have my doubts. I was surprised to read that the whales' notes fall in the infrasonic range which is "generally inaudible to human ears..." And to know that these sounds can cause changes in human blood pressure, breathing, and balance, and can trigger feelings of annoyance or sadness is scary! Now, whenever I get feelings of annoyance, I am sure I am always going to wonder if the cause is the sound of the whale. But I have to agree with Theresa when she says she wonders how scientists conducted their study of its effect on humans. How can they know that this apparently inaudible sound has such a great effect on humans? To think it can cause visual hallucinations is absolutely crazy! This must have been tested in some way and I would definitely like to find out how exactly.
After reading about the Blue whale's perfect pitch and the side effects it can create it reminds me of that mosquito noise that infested the highschool for the longest time. I can't help but link the whales to that noise but with an extra punch of high blood pressure and insanity and a hint of dizziness. If somehow this sound became worldwide or accesible I would not put it past some to create it into a new type of drug. It causes all the effects of drugs. Knowing the government it will become illegal and then we will have a super villian on the loose and not just a mad scientist. I just think a super villian roaming around with a chorus of whale is a bit more scary than a mad scientist with an experiment.
I think using urine as a fertilizer would be cheaper, but would it be easier to manage. In order for urine to be used as a survival method for instance it musn't be too dehydrated. In order for it to be used as a fertilizer does it have to have a certain hydration or something? It is a fact that drinking uring is a viable option if water is unavailable, but after a few cycles through the body it becomes dehydrated and toxic. I do think it is a good idea, and if it can be logically and successfully used it should be used. Hopefully it could save a lot of money and prevent future problems.
Both articles very interesting in different ways! While the 'Pees and Carrots' article talked about the possibility of urine being an amazing fertilizer, 'Using Blue Whales' Perfect Pitch to Drive People Insane' explores the use of Blue Whales' communicative sounds for world domination!
Although the urine yeilded larger massed beets in the stated experiment, the taste was said to be "undistinguishable" by the taste-testers. However, it was mainly used as an alternative to the usual mineral fertilizer. On the contrary, I agree with the article in that people would probably not want to eat food grown with the aid of human urine.
The whales article was not as interesting as I thought it would be. Although, I found it funny how scientists tried to use infrasound concepts as possibilites of taking over the world. I must admit, it WOULD be irritating to hear those kinds of sounds if they were as bad to human ears as the article says!
Who would of thought that using human urine as a fertilizer instead of mineral fertilizers would be better! When first reading the article I found it disgusting, I thought to myself that I would never do that. But as I read on the article began to become very interesting. The experiment done had shocking numbers, I was amazed to read that beats were grown 10% and 27% larger in mass compared to the plants that used only mineral fertilizer. I really was shocked by this and couldn't believe that I hadn't heard about it before.
The blues whales article is unbelievable! I found this article very interesting right from its title. I would have never thought that that sound of these whales can cause changes in blood pressure breathing and balance. These whales are more dangerous then they look.
I have known a little about the benefits of urine (I remember someone using urine instead of fuel to power their car…) and this article increased my expectations for the future of the use of urine. The situation is similar to the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the environment between aerobes and plants. We take in the plants’ oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide that helps the plants in photosynthesis. The waste that is created in the process of photosynthesis and carbon fixation, oxygen, is taken by the aerobes. This use of ‘wastes’ is similar to the use of urine in which the wastes of the body, namely nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, can be nutritious to plant life. The whole scheme of urine recycling is ingenious and resourceful. It could even help underdeveloped countries and people in desperate times. The only problem is acceptance by the public, as stated in the article. Even though many of my misconceptions have been disapproved, for example, the unchanged taste in the eventual result, I am still hesitant. Gradual implementation is needed in order for society to accept the fact that urine recycling works.
The guy in the whale article is an insane genius. I have watched so many action cartoons (with my brother, of course) in which the villain uses sound waves to harm the hero. I never expected that it could be real and that someone could ‘seriously’ use waves against mankind! Let’s just hope that someone saves the day yet again. I love the mad scientist’s description at the end; someone please move his finger away from the death ray button!
Urine. Who would have ever thought that it could have such a great use.It can be used as a fertilizer with would ash and provide plants that are 10-27 percent larger by mass. If the world were to change and urine was to be harvested, how would that change the people? Would people be as voracious as they are now knowing that the food they are eating was fertilized by their own urine, if not somebody else's?
Also, what if it takes a certain type of urine, not that they are cataloged, but what if some people have unhealthy urine that can potentially cause harm to plants or people. There can be some parts where urine is used to fertilize but never should this method go global because of the major changes that would needed to be make. It would be a huge twist in the world. Nonetheless, the fact that urine is such a nutrient filled liquid is astounding to me.
So, urine's good for crops now? I swear, one day they're going to find out that earwax cures cancer or something.
In addition to the fact that urine is rather icky, it's potentially hazardous to just use any old urine to fertilize said crops. I assume that the person would need to be healthy as to avoid spreading any potential contaminates or preventing the crops from even being able to grow, which means you just lost out on an entire harvest. To be honest, I'm more concerned/disgusted with the horrifically high consumption:production rate of the United States. Ever see an oil usage chart for every country? It's terrible. We really need to fix that.
If this urine fertilization were to happen though, then, hey, I don't care. Whatever gets food to me and as long as it's not done in like a giant urine factory made of lesser quality urine it's fine with me. I should talk to Peter about this to see if his family is willing to try it out.
Biology has always had evil scientists, Dr. H. Ever play Resident Evil? They engineered an entire virus in order to move towards global domination with zombie outbreaks. Bioterrorism existed back in the 90's, not to burst your bubble or anything.
But, anyway, I digress. Blue Whale sound cannons sound absolutely ridiculous and awesome at the same time. I can only imagine talks between two countries and one saying "Yeah well if you don't give in to our demands, we're gonna unleash the Blue Whale Sonic Cannon upon the public." The name just sounds awesome.
However, I feel as though a sonic cannon blasting The Jonas Brothers or something could be just as effective.
When I first read the "Pees and Carrots" article I was not too surprised to know that human urine works great as a sustainable fertilizer. I told my aunt about the article about to my surprise she already knew that it was a great fertilizer due to the nutrients that human urine consists of. The fact that my aunt had told me was later confirmed in the article. Using human urine as a fertilizer in my opinion is an amazing idea becuase it is easily accessible and sustainable. My aunt also said that she was intrested to learn that this discovery was not made years ago because she was sure that soon cosmetic companys would start using urine in most of there products. However, I agree with Mita that I would not use this method myself because if I knew that my food was fertilized by urine it would make me not want to eat it and kinda gross me out. Having said this, if I knew what was in half of my food, in terms of fast food I probably would not eat it either.
In reference to the whale article it was really intresting for me to learn that the sounds that a whale makes can cause changes in human blood pressure, breathing and balance.
Using urine as fertilizer, though a bit nasty, seems like it would be very beneficial to the environment. I agree with the author of the article about people not wanting to use strange toilets. It would probably take a lot of convincing to get people to start installing these separator toilets in their homes. I do, however, think that if enough people agreed to take on the change, using urine and compost in place of other man made fertilizers would be good for not only the planet, but for humans as well. I do think that even though human urine is close to being sterile when it leaves the body, if scientists are serious about using it in place of the chemical fertilizers we already use, they should find a way to filter it. I know that some diseases can be spread through urine, and no one wants to get sick from eating a salad. I’ve always liked whales. It’s a little scary that the sounds they make to communicate with each other could be potentially harmful to humans. We could use this to our advantage; as Arvid said, maybe in the future we could somehow either record or recreate the sound the blue whale makes and use it against an enemy in war. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but if something so simple can cause so many problems, it’s worth looking into.
After reading the article Pees and Carrots I had mixed feelings on the information I attained. I would've never thought that urine could be the miracle-gro that vegetables and plants needed. Its truly amazing actually something that every human produces could be used to blossom new vegetables better than top name fertilizers. Although this information is quite useful, I thought to myself I really don't want people to urinate on the same vegetables that I eat for dinner, which made me quite repulsed. The idea of someone urinating on vegetables even if sterile, is quite strange and not normal. But, the idea of a filtering toilet that would filter urine and only keep the helpful parts could be a milestone in saving the ecosystem. We all know how humans can be wasteful and how the ozone layer is being depleted by our actions, so this idea of urination on plants could save us the production of harmful fertilizers. This is a great discovery that will be put to use in years to come.
The blue whales article was very interesting because I thought to myself , how could infrasound from whales cause me to lose balance, have visual hallucinations, or change blood pressure? I found this hard to believe because we humans cant even hear these sounds coming from these whales. None the less this is also a great way for whales to communicate with one another without humans who try to capture them listening. It would be something if scientists could manipulate infrasound to lower the blood pressure of those humans who are affected. Hopeful this mad scientist is successful in his research.
It’s pretty surprising that the issue of crop consumption is going relatively unnoticed. I thought it was interesting that this issue was really tied to economics, as the article used several economical terms, such as supply and demand. Going through the article, a disappointing aspect was the fact that so much of the world’s soil has become essentially useless in regards to crop production. This is because I have heard constantly throughout my life that, if utilized properly, soil never goes bad and can always be reusable with the same results over and over. It is clearly not good news that the only stable soil in the United States appears to be in Florida. If the United States, and even some of the other powerful countries in the world, took better care of how their soil was utilized, the magnitude of this issue would be dramatically reduced.
Using urine as fertilizer is pretty disgusting at first thought, but many other nasty things go on for the sake of production of food, and fast food can be looked at as a prime example. Still, like others have suggested, there is a really small chance that I would eat food knowing it has been urinated on. However, over time, people may over look this fact. Like the article suggested, I doubt this concept will be accepted by many people, but still, as aforementioned, people eat fast food well knowing how unhealthy and disgusting the process of making it is. So although most humans will perceive the idea of urine on their food as disgusting, if the food tastes good, many will disregard the fact. Going by the results of the experiment mentioned in the article, this concept may also begin to be adapted by farmers or even whole governments to solve the growing issue of crop consumption largely outweighing crop production. This is due to the fact that during the experiment, the urine-fertilized beets were nearly 1/3 as large as the mineral fertilized beets.
I found it strange that modern day scientists still do not have the much information on how to use different levels of sound to benefit human society. I was very interested that the article mentioned that infrasound can be beneficial in a medical sense, so much as to change the blood pressure of a human being. This would be a huge benefit to society, as many people are forced to alter their diets and reduce their salt intake for the sake of keeping their blood pressure down. I wonder if this altering of blood pressure could potentially affect the damages that a disease like Atherosclerosis does as one of its many effects is a raising blood pressure as a result of the abundance of clots and lack of flexibility in the blood vessels.
The article about how natural soil was being destroyed and how the production of crops was affected was very interesting. According to the article 30% of the world’s soil is unproductive and this has happened over time. If this continues many countries could suffer from worldwide famines and starvation. People need to know how to take care of the land properly and prevent it from wasting away. If people could learn to preserve the land better than we could prevent ourselves from endangering our food supply.
Using urine as fertilizer was another interesting topic, but what also proved interesting was the fact it produced larger vegetables. This could be useful to help deal with failing crops caused by insufficient soil. If we used this method then we could produce large amounts of food to feed a growing population in our society. What also makes this method great is that the vegetables are safe to eat and are just as healthy as the mineral grown plants the scientists in the article used.
Although I already had known that America was one of the leading countries in consuming energy, I never had imagined the ratio of the energy used to the energy gained in America to be highly unbalanced. While reading the article titled “Foil and Soil,” I learned that Americans expend ten times more energy than the energy obtained from food production in the United States. The unbalanced energy ratio, which is primary result of the carelessness of numerous Americans, is adversely affecting the world. The article claims that over the past 40 years, approximately 30% of the world's cropland has become unproductive and has been abandoned because of soil erosion and degradation. As Keith Anacker mentioned, the replacement of fertile land lost to erosion is not an option because it would take approximately 3000 years to restore eroded topsoil at the necessary depth for food production. If energy consumption continues to surpass food production at an exponential rate, then an increasing number of Americans, especially impoverished people, will constantly starve. However, many scientists state that fertilizing crops with human urine can be an alternative method for cultivating food. I always thought human urine contained high levels of ammonia and uric acid. Thus, I believed that urine was detrimental to the plants because it could greatly lower the ph level of soil. However, in actuality, when used a fertilizer, urine allows for the production of better crops because of its nourishing elements: nitrogen and potassium.
After reading the article about blue whales, I was immediately amazed by the different pitches, especially the set of tones below 20 Hz, of the blue whales’ songs. Similar to Doppler Effect generated by the sound waves of traveling objects, Whales commonly exhibit variations in their pitches as they approach and retreat from other whales. While these spectacular sounds, as stated by Roger Bland, are used by whales for useful purposes, like locating other whales, the songs are tremendously dangerous to human beings. By simply hearing the infrasonic blue whales’ sounds, humans can suddenly endure various adverse effects, which include visual hallucinations, feelings of annoyance or sadness, as well as changes in blood pressure, breathing and balance. Thus, the author, Eric Schaffer, claims that he can possibly utilized the whale sounds to control mankind and world. Although I am unsure about the feasibility and the practicality of the author’s plans about world domination, I am definitely certain that he is mat nutcase who definitely needs to get his screws checked.
Urine-based fertilizer is a very efficient way to help this country shift its mindset. Sure, urine isn't going to single-handedly save the world, but it's a step in the right direction. We cannot constantly avoid responsibility to this Earth and its resources. Our current methods of doing almost everything energy-related has been harmful and inefficient. At a certain point, we need to realize that we are here to not only be hospitable to ourselves, but also to this Earth. For example, one graph in the second link showed that the majority of the Earth's soil is degraded in some way. Considering that plant food and agriculture are main economic stimuli in this world, we need to find ways to keep the flow going and not destroy the nature around us.
As for the whale sounds, I am a little skeptical of its effectiveness. I remember one episode of Mythbusters where the myth was that a "brown" note existed. This infamous note supposedly had the ability to cause a human being to lose control of his bowels and such (bowels, brown - you get the point). However, when tested, the note had no effect but a minor discomfort. Similarly, it would be unlikely that the whale frequency could have a major disastrous effect, past some discomfort. Still, I found the article humorous and intriguing. You never know what power nature holds.
The utilization of urine for fertilizing plants is quite interesting. While I was reading the article, however, I couldn't help but wonder how such an idea was conceived, whether it was initially a carefully planned experiment or a mere accident. Regardless, it is indeed an intriguing find. However, as stated in the article, the widespread use of urine recycling for the purpose of fertilization seems quite unlikely for a multitude of reasons, such as the total neccessary restructure of our nation's sewage system and the adaption of strange separating toilets. Even if such radical changes were to take place, the issue of urine fertilized fruits and vegetables having mainstream appeal remains. Such products, as fantastic and eco-friendly as they may be, would probably only garner a limited following, most likely those who already buy into the organic craze. This is simply because I'm not so certain food grown with human waste sounds appetizing to most people.
I've always considered the blue whale's mournful calls to be quite poignant to listen to, but now that I'm aware of the potential effects the cries can have on humans, I admire the creatures a little less. Still, as I doubt the Mad Scientist's ability to effectively rally the dwindling populations of blue whales to attack us landlubbers, I don't think anyone will suffer from whale induced hallucinations or insanity any time in the foreseeable future.
Even though using urine as a crop fertilizer has many benfits, including saving money, water, and fossil fuels (that make fertilizers), it will be extremely difficult to implement this system on a large scale. Most of the public would never agree to use human urine in order to cultivate their crops given the preconceived notions they already have. And even if the public were to accept using urine, it would also mean changing the way the sewage system currently works. I think, for me at least, I would not want a "separating toilet" because just like the article stated, "many people don't want a toilet that looks strange". Though using urine would be a great effective substitute for fertilizer, it might take a while for this system to take effect across the nation.
After reading the article about the blue whale's perfect pitch and effects on humans, I googled the decibel level of the whales' calls. Turns out that the sound of the blue whale reaches up to 188 decibels, making it the loudest animal on Earth. The loud sound of the whale even makes the sound of an airplane seem quiet (airplanes reach to about 140 decibels...and anything above 120 is harmful to our ears). Anyways, given that the sound of the blue whale can impact the health of a human, its really interesting to know that such sounds can alter blood pressure levels, breathing and balance. Just as some other students have commented, would it really possible for these whales to alter human blood pressure to an extent that it would improve it?
The opening statement in the human fertilizer article was disturbing to me. The author seemed enthused about eating the 'perfectly lovely beets' that were peed on to grow. That doesn't sound that appetizing to me...besides the fact that I don't like beets to begin with. So Jönsson is right, when he said,“Acceptance is a big problem for this kind of system." A majority of people are not going to be crazy about his ideas of 'separating toilets' and eating vegetables that were fertilized this way. It is no wonder he is skeptical about urine fertilization becoming a large scale technique.
It's interesting to think that the sound of a whale would cause visual hallucinations and high blood pressure. It sounds like the people who experienced this were possibly scared of the whale...if not just pissed off at it's annoying sound.
So...now we know not to take someone with high blood pressure whale watching...
The article about the blue whales was very exciting the thought that blue whales may be harmful to mankind without the use of the whales body to hurt us is unimaginable, and unreal. The whales use their sound to detect one another,find a mate and send out signals. Halluncinations caused by the whales' sound is questionable, How? I don't really understand it, but maybe their noise is so unbearable...it leads to halluncination.
Peeing on food is gross,and disgusting,but I wonder if only human pee can fertilize plants. Just thinking of dogs on their early walk, and peeing in someone's garden on purpose can be controversial to mankind. Sure it can be helpful to areas where water is needed mainly for human consumption and not on plants. But to most people (morally) they would not take such a chance.
As far as "going green" is concerned, the enviornmentalists are finally putting aside the solar powered hybrid recyclable innovations of the future aside for a moment, in an effort to discover the simple yet effective process of natural fertilization. It's about time too, considering farms are accustomed to using animal waste to fertilize the soil, and excessive chemical fertilization often does more harm than good anyway. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers and growth hormones are a prime factor in the demand for organic foods to begin with. Though the idea of urine fertilizer may be unappealing to most, it is in fact a practical and cost efficient method that would organically grow crops without the use of harmful chemicals or hormones.
On another note, I've heard a few times before about the songs that whales sing, however I always knew them to be songs of a key our ears couldn't detect, so I figured they were very low pitched. This sheds a whole new light on the subject and though world domination sounds far fetched, there may even be used for the high pitched sounds these whales can produce, with the side-effects that it has. Perhaps all the effects of the whale noises aren't negative, but haven't been discovered yet.
"Pees and Carrots" - I guess I'm not too surprised that urine can be used as a fertilizer, since normal fertilizers are made of cow manure. If urine could be used as fertilizers it could save a lot of money for those with a green thumb - that is if they can get over the fact its urine. I never thought urine could be sterile and that it could improve sanitation. This concept is especially hard to grasp if the sewage is remodeled to the farm fields. It's interesting that there has to be a whole process has to be done if the urine fertilizer was to be used on the large scale. I think it will be a long time until people will be comfortable with this idea.
"Blue Whales" - I never thought there would be mad scientists who was a biologist. I never knew whales can "sing" in ranges that we can't hear. The description of the whales singing at the same pitch to communicate with others reminds me of bats using sonar to communicate. Sounds affecting human blood pressure makes sense if we think about it. When I listen to music, I relax so by bp is low and normal. If i watch an action movie, my bp may go up.
Reading the “Peas and Carrots” article made me feel both intrigued and grossed out. It never occurred to me that urine had a substantial amount of nitrogen or that it was capable of being used a as a fertilizer for plants. In addition, a typical adult would be able to produce 130 gallons of urine in a year and in a day a person could fertilize ten square feet of soil! The idea that urine could be used as a fertilizer seems like the perfect alternative to industrial fertilizer, but for it to be put into action on a large scale, it could take a while. On one hand, it would make plants larger in mass, help decrease sewage waste, and diminish chances of plants being tainted with chemicals, like from industrial fertilizer. However, on the other hand, we’re talking about human urine. Most people would start to panic ,if they learned that urine was used to fertilize the food. Although urine is sanitary and a plant that used urine or not taste just the same, the fact that it was fertilized by urine just doesn’t seem right. I have to admit it is an ingenious idea , but how many people would be willing to urinate in their vegetable garden, then harvest them and eat them.
A mad biologist? I didn’t know blue whales could be potentially threatening to humans. But that is usual since many things in life that can not be perceived by our five senses tend to be the most life threatening like a blue whale’s hum that a person can’t hear but would go deaf if “heard” and diseases a person gets that is not detected until its too late. Moreover, a blue whale’s infrasound could cause a person to gain high blood pressure and go mad. Back to the biologist, I just have one question which is how will he be immune to the effects of the whales hum? If he doesn’t I think I know the cause of his madness. Additionally, using a pod of whales to achieve world domination is by far the most unique way to rule the world I know.
Regarding the "Pees and Carrots" article, I have actually heard a little about this a few years ago. I used to have a fairly strange neighbor who, whenever we were playing in his backyard and he really needed to go to the bathroom, would occasionally take a leak in his bushes! The rest of us would get grossed out and ask him why he couldn't just hold it for a few seconds and go inside! He would respond, "Oh who cares! It's good for the plants anyways!" I never believed him because he was a few years younger than me and tended to make up almost everything he said. I even tried confirming this absurd idea with my parents and they had never heard of it either. Well, after reading this article I now must say, "Sorry man, you were right. But still, you could have waited." I think the whole concept is quite disgusting. I mean, it's really great that the plants look greener than ever and the vegetables are flourishing, but come on! That's still urine! Doesn't it smell? Doesn't the yellow color of the urine have some affect on the vegetation? This whole concept is still pretty new to me, but I do admit that finding another use for our pee is incredibly productive and eco-friendly. But just letting you know, there is no way on this Earth that I will ever eat food that has been peed on. Not even if it is my own pee, and not even if it has been mixed with other nutrients and chemicals. Nope, no thank you.
When I read about this mad scientist concocting a plan for world domination, I could not help but laugh and shake my head. The crazy things people think of these days! But the whole idea is quite amusing actually. If I weren't one of those victims who would go insane hearing these sounds, I would not mind watching how it affects other people. Hmm, this article is bringing out my evil side! However, along with figuring out how to completely torture the human race, this man also has to plan how he would avoid feeling these affects as well. After all, he is human too! Once this is all figured out, well than, world domination is a sure give in for Mr. Schaffer!
My first reaction to using urine as a fertilizer was, as many other said, that’s gross. However, the article presented many convincing arguments for the practice. The fact that urine comes out of our body practically sterile eased my mind a bit. The blind taste test results helped too. I feel the general public would be slow to support fertilization of plants with urine, and even slower to take the time and money to replace their toilets. My major concern, if the large scale fertilization with urine actually took place would be about people on medication. The studies done used the urine of healthy people. What about people on daily medications? Even simple antibiotics change the color of urine. After medication is done working through your body, the byproducts leave through urine, the urine that may be used to fertilize food. Would the plants be affected by the medications? Illegal drugs exit the body the same way. Would the consumer be affected by plants treated with urine that was laced with drugs? The only solution would be an extremely sensitive filter that only accepts the urine of healthy people who are not currently on any kind of drug. Using urine to fertilize farms on a large scale cannot be safe until a highly sensitive filter can be developed to manage the farms needs.
To answer the question, "Will people be willing to pee on their salads before eating them?", I'd have to say no. To pee on anything that goes inside my stomach seems extremely unsanitary and disgusting. Although animal waste may sometimes be used to fertilize different crops, I'd still rather not think of the process of spreading their pee over the crops that i will be digesting. However, its undeniable that using urine as a fertilizer can save many natural resources and money as well. But will people buy the organic product when they see a sign in the supermarket that says "Freshly Fertilized With Urine!"? I surely won't. However in the article "Pees and Carrots", the author actually came up with a good idea; installing separate toilets in the house that will lead directly to the crop. But still, even though it is a good idea, I don't think many of the people who use those toilets will want to eat the plants that were fertilized with their "morning routine".
As for the high pitch of the whales that could drive people insane, I wouldn't want to be near any of THOSE whales when they're mad. As i read some of the comments before mine, it was interesting that many of the comments dealt with using these whale sounds as war weapons or world domination weapons. Well, first off we would have to learn how to train the whales to set off the sounds. That could take decades or centuries just to figure out! And if countries were to use these whale sounds that changed the blood pressures and caused visual hallucinations in the people that were affected, well, then they might as well be slowly killing the population.
It'd be interesting to hear more about these whales in the future. And I'd advise those scientists, that are researching those whale sounds, to be more cautious around them!You never know what other side affects there could be.
The article concerning the world’s food and soil brought me to the frightening reality facing future generations: the increasing amount of unproductive, degraded soil is making world food output less efficient. This negative trend will eventually lead to even more food shortages unless some steps are taken to prevent further decline. The simple solution of utilizing urine is very interesting. Like Theresa, to me it seems wrong to consume something that was made with something that contains minerals and other toxins that the body rejected. However, the results of the larger, and tasty, plants speak for themselves. Human urine, I learned from the article, naturally provides “nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, which are… the main ingredients in common mineral fertilizers.” If countries adopted this new way to fertilize, then several problems would be solved. Like the article mentioned, this practice of using urine would improve sanitation in overpopulated countries and help to feed impoverished nations. It seems like a two bird, one stone situation. If only people would be able to overcome the obvious gross-out factor, then this could become a viable source for fertilizer. It is possible that this could happen. In poorer nations around the world, insects that would seem disgusting to some provide others with stable protein sources. As one can see from this example, people can adapt if they have to, and in the future, I’m sure they will.
The article about the whales’ pitch was surprising and seemed almost fictional. It’s almost comical how much chaos could ensue if this theory was tested. However, harnessing the whales’ pitch could also be potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. Couldn’t this new knowledge be turned into a weapon? The article did say that a certain pitch or intensity can cause high blood pressure, and hallucinations, incapacitating anyone subjected to the inaudible pitch. Any time someone discovers something that could be used as natural or biological warfare, people should become wary.
"Pees and Carrots" was an interesting article indeed. I was completely opposed to the idea of using urine as a fertilizer. I mean, though it is sterile and organic, it is still our WASTE. Doesn't that mean it's a bad thing. Plus many people would have to change their lifestyles to accommodate the pee fertilizer. As stated in the passage, a large scale urine collection would require an amazing logistic force. So you can see, why I was so opposed to it. Then I opened the link with all of the statistics about how humans are wasting energy and land. We had such wonderful natural resources and we depleted them quickly. The most shocking chart to me was the one showing degraded areas on our earth. Basically, all of the land on our earth is degraded. That is quite a scary thought. Those statistics made me think, and I realized I needed to fix my priorities. If urine fertilizer will help use make better use of the little natural resources remaining, then why not? My only question is "Does the health of the person donating the urine matter?" I would think that it does, a person who is dehydrated or sick might not pass on good nutrients through their urine. Then if that urine is used to fertilize everyone's food.....well you get my point.
The article on Mad Scientist's evil plans was quite funny and informing. Thank you for posting it Dr. H. This really does sound evil. Could low frequency sound waves, really cause people to have hallucinations? I thought that humans can't even hear the sounds, ad yet it will still cause us to be in pain? That really stinks because you could be in pain and not know why? This reminds me of how as people grow older their hearing abilities change. There are several studies and places where security systems were made to keep out teenagers especially. The systems would send out a sound at a frequency that only teens could hear, and it would drive them crazy. I know music can change your mood, but awkward pitches causing pain. I don't think so. Plus, I don't think that the whales will agree to being used for evil. Whales seem like peaceable creatures (except for the ones who are too friendly and end up crushing their trainers).
I really believe that the article Pees and Carrots has a very simple but very brilliant idea behind it. IN chemistry we learned that the energy of the universe remains the same but it is constantly changing the form that it is in. I feel like thorough this method we are directly recycling the energy from us in to the plants that are next to us. This would definitely help the ecosystem that we live in, since the commercial fertilizer that we buy from our local hardware store is filled with hazardous chemicals that can leak in to our wells and other ground water. Also I have heard that they are already using waste water that has been filtered to water the golf courses etc. I feel that this is more practical.
The article about the blue whale was also very int interesting. I agree that a mad scientist for biology was much needed. The author of this article is very funny. He also has the determination to use these sounds not for good. However, I don't think that they will ever achieve brown noise only a sound that is very annoying to the subject.
As weird as this sounds, after reading the "urine" article i immediately thought of the worst case scenarios. What if some one were to "urinate" on their soil, grow tomatoes and sell then to the nearest farm market. If the person had a disease, such as AIDs, is it possible that it could be carried from the person through their urine, into the soil and therefore the tomato? Then a consumer could buy the tomato, eat it, and get AIDS as well? Or am i just over thinking this one.
I found the Whale article very..interesting. Using a whales infrasonic hum to drive people insane is definately a new form of torture. I almost felt like i was in the movie copout....i don't know if you ever saw it.. but a cop interrogates a man and just uses weird ways to get information out of him. Overall I enjoyed the topics for this week.
It is amusing to learn that urine can be used to fertilize plants. While most people think of fertilizer as cow maneuer, it is interesting to learn that humans can use their own waste to provide for the environment. While we think of our waste as simply waste, it can be used to facilitate the growth of plants and, in fecal transplantion. With more research, who knows how much more human waster can actually turn out to be helpful.
Pees and Carrots - When I first read this, I was immediately grossed out at the thought of urine being used as fertilizers. Even though it is a good way to recycle and it is better for the environment, I would definitely prefer not to eat vegetables that were grown with urine as the ferilizer. I also agree with Jamie. What would happen if the person whose urine was used had a disease. Could it spread if the vegetable were to be eaten by others. Although it is a great idea and way to help the environment, i feel that much more thought, research, and tests have to be put this project before it is used on all plants/vegetables. As Kayla said, it could be an extremely useful method.
Blue Whale: This article grabbed my attention right away because I love to sing and am in choir. Also, I am fascinated by (and jealous of) people with perfect pitch, and my brother happens to have perfect pitch himself. There were a few things that interested me. One was that scientists were able to figure out that the sound a whale makes is exactly three octaves below middle C! Also, I did not know previously that their pitch is dangerous to human ears and can cause problems in blood pressure, depression, and other things.
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