What does a stressed plant sound like?

Plus: Map of Venus' 85,000 volcanoes is superior to any created of Earth. [Blueprint]( What does a stressed plant sound like? Apparently, a bit like bubble wrap being popped. A [new study]( presents the first-ever evidence that ultrasonic vibrations from plants are airborne – well, at least when they’re dehydrated and have had their stems severed. Humans can’t detect the noises - the frequency is much too high- however, since the sounds are airborne, this makes them that much more relevant for other nearby species. Fundamentally, it begs the question, what’s listening to these plants and why? "If other plants have information about stress before it actually occurs, they could prepare,” said the study’s lead author. But before we find out more about that, let’s have a look at our [video of the day]( and see how… Welcome to the weekend. I’m Sade, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get started. Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers heard all about what we now know about Doggerland. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+]( today to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. VIDEO OF THE DAY [Why Engineers Don't Put Grates In Front of Engines to Prevent Bird Strikes]( [Why engineers don't put grates in front of engines to prevent bird strikes]( Why aren't the fronts of aircraft engines ever covered, given that bird strikes can be dangerous? MUST READ [Plants create 'pop' records in the studio when dehydrated or stems torn]( What does a stressed plant sound like? Apparently, a bit like bubble wrap being popped. A [new study]( presents the first-ever evidence that ultrasonic vibrations from plants are airborne. That is, tomato and tobacco plants —stressed from dehydration or having their stems severed—emit sounds that are comparable in volume to normal human conversation. While the frequency is too high for humans to detect, being airborne makes them that much more relevant for nearby species. Fundamentally, it begs the question, what other organisms are listening to these plants and why? [Read More]( SCIENCE [Map of Venus' 85,000 volcanoes is superior to any created of Earth]( The most comprehensive map of Venus' 85,000 volcanoes has been produced by planetary scientists from Washington University. Even better, it could beat any other map of the volcanism on any other planet- including Earth. This is because, despite our extensive knowledge of Earth's on-land volcanoes, many more have yet to be discovered beneath the oceans. Venus doesn't have any oceans of its own. Thus, radar imagery- such as that captured by NASA's Magellan mission- can more easily view the planet’s entire surface. Crucially, the new map serves to aid in locating active lava flows. After all, this has yet to be observed. [Read More]( INNOVATION [What does the future of transportation look like? Billionaire Bill gates gives us a glimpse]( Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates wrote about an amusing encounter he had with an autonomous vehicle in London, UK. Gates discusses the "fairly" unique method adopted by the British company Wayve after recently having the chance to test drive—or test ride—one of its vehicles. He described how people use the knowledge they have gained from each and every previous drive they have ever had when they are driving. Wayve, he argued, accomplishes the same task by employing an algorithm that uses deep learning techniques. [Read More]( CULTURE [Belgian woman blames ChatGPT-like chatbot ELIZA for her husband’s suicide]( The widow of a Belgian man who committed suicide claims that an AI chatbot persuaded her spouse to kill himself. On a daily basis, the father of two apparently communicated with "ELIZA," a chatbot created by a US start-up using the open-source GPT-J technology as a replacement for OpenAI's GPT-3. The tragedy has sparked calls for better public safety and increased awareness. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS We now understand that a variety of stressed plants, such as tomato and tobacco plants, generate airborne sounds. Does this make you want to give your plants extra care and water? [Definitely, they are trying to communicate their needs]( [No, but it’s interesting]( [I don’t have plants]( [I’m not so sure]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday we said that GPT-5 could make ChatGPT indistinguishable from a human and asked if this was a good thing. A majority of you (44 percent) said it was best to pause progress in the field. 44% I’m with Elon, just pause it 26% Stop it, it’s not safe 23% It’s an amazing thing 8% I am unsure either way QUOTE OF THE DAY Everything is theoretically impossible until it is done. Robert A. Heinlein, Science fiction writer THINGS WE LOVE [BassMe Wearable Subwoofer]( [Tineco Vacuum Cleaner]( [OXO Microfiber Extendable Duster]( [Personalized Family Recipe Board]( AND ANOTHER THING - Sentient chatbots, Douglas Hofstadter, and [why general AI is still a long way off]( [premium] - Spill the tea: Who [lives in your beverage?]( [premium] - Want to [protect your brain]( from aging? Learn another language [premium] - ‘Safeguard our future’: Australia passes [law capping oi]( and gas emis sions for the first time - E3 2023 has been [canceled]( - Student helps [deter poaching]( with nuclear science [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( © Copyright 2023 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 205 Hudson St New York, NY, 10013, USA | All Rights Reserved You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here.](