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Mushrooms as Rainmakers: How Spores Act as Nuclei for Raindrops

Plos One has published a study that implies that fungal spores can create rain. From the Abstract: Millions of tons of fungal spores are dispersed in the atmosphere every year. These living cells, along with plant spores and pollen grains, may act as nuclei for condensation of water in clouds. Basidiospores released by mushrooms form…

U.S. Desertification Caused by Government

[Government, not the Government] You can see from the work of Bill Mollison and others that it’s quite possible to green the desert without massive infrastructure projects. The present desertification of the South-West of the United States is not a result of “climate change”, it’s the result of misuse of the water that’s always been there, under…

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The wisdom of our Elders?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67CYmdARhM?rel=0&w=640&h=480] Music: Excerpt from Way to the Roots by Haytham Safia Quartet Photo credits, Thanks to Miguel Jaramillo for all the great desert photos. Extreme tree: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedronet/3975329408/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Cat: http://www.scenicreflections.com/download/282058/running_cat_Wallpaper/ (watch out, loads of popups etc…)

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Fewer trees, less rain: study uncovers deforestation equation

(2005) Australian scientists say they have found proof that cutting down forests reduces rainfall. The finding, independent of previous anecdotal evidence and computer modelling, uses physics and chemistry to show how the climate changes when forests are lost, by analyzing variations in the molecular structure of rain along the Amazon River. Not all water, Professor Henderson-Sellers said,…

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Trees Make Rain II – Bioprecipitation.

Until relatively recently, most scientists thought rain was caused by mineral particles in the air which were just the right size for water (or ice) to condense around them. Research is beginning to show that a major factor in rain creation could be bacteria associated with plants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprecipitation If this is true then it is yet…

Trees Make Rain I – Photographic Evidence.
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Trees Make Rain I – Photographic Evidence.

The image shows two views of the rabbit-proof fence, stretching about 2,000 miles across South-Western Australia. It separates off native land from farmland with the idea of keeping rabbits out. Clouds form a lot more on the native side than the other, showing a correlation between farmland and decreased rainfall. That’s it really, but there…