"And since to look at things in bloom / Fifty springs are little room..."

I first read the below poem in 2019, during the first year of my creative writing degree. It made a deep impression on me, and I'm reminded of it every springtime when the cherry trees in our neighbour's garden burst into blossom. 

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

 

Now, of my threescore years and ten,

Twenty will not come again,

And take from seventy springs a score,

It only leaves me fifty more.

 

And since to look at things in bloom

Fifty springs are little room,

About the woodlands I will go

To see the cherry hung with snow.

A Shropshire Lad 2: Loveliest of trees, the cherry now by A.E. Housman

Our neighbour's cherry trees are large and hang over our garden. Each year, their beautiful blossoms fall like confetti. Likewise, in the summer, the fruit drops onto our side of the fence, and a number of our own cherry trees are shooting up. 

These trees host so much life.  In the spring, the canopy buzzes, as a variety of pollinators float around the white blossoms. Today, for the first time, I noticed blue tits eating pollen from the flowers. I didn't know they did that! Later in the year, when the blossom has become fruit, the canopy again fills with a range of birds, primarily black birds, and bright red juice rains down from their feasting. 

In truth, we can never know how many more springs we will see, how many more blooms along the boughs. So I try to cherish each one. 

Painting with London Clay

The Naze is a fast-eroding headland near my home in north Essex. I'm falling in love with it. In fact, I find it so wonderful I've decided to write my master's dissertation about it. 

The Naze, Essex

When I was walking at the Naze the other day, I had taken a small paintbrush with me. I wanted to experiment with painting with the London Clay. This is my first attempt. 

It worked better than I expected! My hope is to experiment more with it on future walks - maybe try to paint some portraits of the overwintering birds, like this speedy little Turnstone!

Lovely Lichens!

Some beautiful lichens from a recent walk at Wrabness Nature Reserve. Lichens are organisms actually made up of two species - an algae or cyanobacteria, plus a fungus. Their relationships create a variety of delicate structures and textures. A joy to behold!

Gifts of May

Our garden is pretty wild. My husband and I do very little work on it, other than occasionally strimming the grass, or pruning bushes, etc. As a result, we are greeted each year by a range of flowers that pop up. Some are wild, and some have probably spread from other gardens. Some are regular visitors, others are unexpected surprises. I love learning about them all, and love watching the pollinators enjoy them even more. 

This is Aquilegia, sometimes known as Granny's Bonnets. I'm not sure which species this one is. But they seem popular with bees, and I've read that some moth species also like them.

This is Green Alkanet, which is sometimes confused with Forget-me-not's or Borage. They all belong to the same family. It's often thought of as a weed, but I think it's very pretty. And again, the bees like them! In the background, you can see a white Foxglove. 

The name 'foxglove' has been used in England since at least 1000 A.D, and may come from the Anglo Saxon foxes-gleow, gleow meaning a ring of bells. In Norway it's called revbjelde - 'fox bell'. Some legends say that foxes wear the petals on their feet to keep them dry from the dew, others say that foxes wear the bells around their necks, for the ringing sound protects them from hunters. The bells certainly ring when a bee buzzes inside them!

Below, we have what I think is Greater Periwinkle among some Dead Nettle leaves, and the tiny flowers of Herb Robert. Herb Robert smells pretty bad - one of it's common names is Stinking Bob - but the bees don't seem to mind! It is also good for hoverflies and the barred carpet moth.

And I couldn't leave out the wonderful Dandelion. Though I've seen it so many times throughout my life, I am still awed by this incredible seed formation. 

Finding Home: Geomagnetic Migration in Marine Animals – and Human Impacts

Image credit: Tony Hisgett

I find the link between biology and geology endlessly fascinating – how animals (including us humans) are shaped and influenced by the Earth’s physics, and vice versa. Among the many aspects of this co-evolutionary relationship, something I find particularly intriguing is the ability of some species to use geomagnetic navigation. Magnetoreception – the ability to sense a magnetic field – has been observed across a wide range of living beings, from bacteria to cetaceans. However, given that human activity can influence geomagnetic fields, it also concerns me that we are interfering with the ability of other species to navigate their environments.

This blog post is adapted from an essay I wrote as a first-year student of BSc Marine Biology. Although I switched degrees, and therefore never made it past the first year, my fascination with these topics has remained, as has my desire to share that fascination with others.

So first, a short explanation of some of the research. A key hypothesis concerning geomagnetic migration is the concept of imprinting: scientists believe this is what happens when an animal becomes attuned to a specific location on the Earth’s magnetic field. This imprint would explain how marine animals are able to return so precisely to their places of birth after spending time in the vast open ocean. A growing body of research is demonstrating that this hypothesis is an accurate one. For example, because the Earth’s magnetic fields move and vary in intensity, it was hypothesised that if imprinting does occur, changes in the magnetic fields would influence natal homing routes. Data analysis of loggerhead sea turtles on the Florida coast does indeed show that slight changes in the geomagnetic field result in similar changes in nesting density.[1] Likewise, researchers analysing 56 years-worth of fisheries data found that magnetic intensity around Vancouver Island influenced whether sockeye salmon chose a northerly or southerly migratory route back to their spawning site.[2] Both studies suggest that animals migrate towards the geomagnetic signature they have been imprinted with, rather than the exact geographical location. In other words, where these animals nest or spawn is influenced by shifts in the magnetic field.

Main Compass Rose from Carta del Cantino

A variety of biophysical mechanisms that make geomagnetic navigation possible have been proposed. These include the biological presence of magnetite crystals: a magnetically-sensitive mineral which has been found in many species, including in the human brain.[3] Additionally, a study by Vidal-Gadea et al. found that nematodes (microscopic roundworms) have specific neurons which enable geomagnetic orientation. And Hiscock et al. propose that migratory birds are able to navigate the Earth’s magnetic fields due to quantum mechanical spin occurring in proteins called cryptochromes, which are found in the birds’ eyes.

One of the challenges faced by researchers in this field of study is that it requires cross-overs from many disciplines, including geology, biology, physics and, as just mentioned, even quantum mechanics. Another difficulty lies in how we determine the human impact on geomagnetic navigation in marine animals. Research into how human activity affects electromagnetic fields in the oceans is lacking, in part because the mechanisms by which marine animals use this field is itself not fully understood.

However, there is enough evidence to show that further research is much needed. For example, transmission cables from offshore wind farms have been found to alter localised magnetic fields. Although research suggests that the field of influence from wind farms is not far-reaching, there is not yet sufficient evidence to dismiss the potential of negative impact on marine migrations. In fact, some research does show that the presence of transmission cables changes foraging and resting behaviours in some species.[4] Additionally, research at the Mario Zucchelli Station on the Antarctic coast has shown that the station affects the local magnetic field up to a distance of 650 metres below ground,[5] thus demonstrating the extent to which large coastal or offshore structures can influence the magnetic field.

Further to this, research by Gieré highlights the problem of magnetite nanoparticles in atmospheric pollution, raising concerns about the potential of increased sensitivity to electromagnetic fields for humans and other animals. Whilst no research seems to have been carried out to investigate the effects of magnetite pollution on migratory marine animals, the use of magnetite has been proposed by researchers as a possible agent in clearing marine oil spills. Human pollution could have the potential to influence magnetic sensitivity of marine animals via bioaccumulation of magnetite, although there is currently no evidence for this.

When it comes to offshore wind farms, research into the negative impact on marine life may prove both publicly and politically unpopular, given that wind power has become emblematic of the modern environmental movement. Likewise, research into the negative impacts of clearing oil spills with magnetite may seem inconvenient to some. However, it is important that, in our efforts to create more harmonious relationships with our surroundings, we strive to make genuinely environmentally-friendly choices, and not simply content ourselves with solutions that are ideologically or politically appealing.

Earth systems are so complex, in ways that can both fascinate and bewilder us. Understanding how to align ourselves better with them requires humility on our part and a consistent openness to learning more - always learning more.

[1] Brothers, J.R. and Lohmann, K.J. (2015) ‘Evidence for Geomagnetic Imprinting and Magnetic Navigation in the Natal Homing of Sea Turtles.’ Current Biology. 25 (3). 392 – 396. [2] Putman, N.F., et al. (2015) ‘Evidence for Geomagnetic Imprinting as a Homing Mechanism in Pacific Salmon.’ Current Biology. 23. 312 – 316. [3] Gieré, R. (2016) ‘Magnetite in the human body: Biogenic vs. anthropogenic.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (43). 11986 – 11987. [4] Hutchison, Zoe L., et al. (2020) 'Anthropogenic electromagnetic fields (EMF) influence the behaviour of bottom-dwelling marine species.' Scientific Reports, 10, 4219. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60793-x [5] Armadillo, E., et al. (2012) ‘Impact of Human Activities on the Geomagnetic Field of Antarctica: A High Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Mario Zucchelli Station.’ Environment International. 47. 1 – 7.

References:

Armadillo, E., E. Bozzo, M. Gambetta, and D. Rizzello. ‘Impact of Human Activities on the Geomagnetic Field of Antarctica: A High Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Mario Zucchelli Station.’ Environment International, v. 47 (2012), pp. 1 – 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2012.05.005

Atta, Ayman M., Hamad A. Al-Lohedan, and Sami A. Al-Hussain. ‘Functionalization of Magnetite Nanoparticles as Oil Spill Collector.’ International Journal of Molecular Sciences, v.16, no. 4 (2015), pp. 6911 – 6931. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/16/4/6911

Brothers, J. Roger. and Kenneth J. Lohmann. ‘Evidence for Geomagnetic Imprinting and Magnetic Navigation in the Natal Homing of Sea Turtles.’ Current Biology, v. 25, no. 3 (2015), pp. 392 – 396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.035

Gieré, Reto. ‘Magnetite in the human body: Biogenic vs. anthropogenic.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 113, no. 43 (2016), pp. 11986 – 11987. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613349113

Hiscock, H. G., Worster, S., Kattnig, D.R., Steers, C., Jin, Y., Manolopoulos, D. E., Mouritsen, H. and Hore, P. J. (2016) ‘Quantum needle of the avian magnetic compass.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Hutchison, Zoe L., Andrew B. Gill, Peter Sigray, Haibo He and John W. King. 'Anthropogenic electromagnetic fields (EMF) influence the behaviour of bottom-dwelling marine species.' Scientific Reports, 10, 4219 (2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60793-x

Kirschvink, J. L., Walker, M. M. and Diebel, C. E. (2001) ‘Magnetite-based magnetoreception.’ Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 11 (4). 462 – 467.

Otremba, Z. and Andrulewicz, E. (2015) ‘Physical Fields During Construction and Operation of Wind Farms by Example of Polish Maritime Areas.’ Polish Maritime Research. 3. 113 –122.

Putman, N.F., Lohmann, K.J., Putman, E.M., Quinn, T.P., Klimley, A.P. and Noakes, D.L.G. (2015) ‘Evidence for Geomagnetic Imprinting as a Homing Mechanism in Pacific Salmon.’ Current Biology. 23. 312 – 316.

Vidal-Gadea, A., Ward, K., Beron, C., Ghorashian, N., Gokce, S., Russell, J., Truong, N., Parikh, A., Gadea, O., Ben-Yakar, A. and Pierce-Shimomura, J. (2015) ‘Magnetosensitive Neurons Mediate Geomagnetic Orientation in Caenorhabditis elegans.’ eLife. DOI:10.7554/eLife.07493 3

My first peer-reviewed publication!

‘For Us, Heaven is Green’: Resistance Symbolism in Wadjda and Offside

My first peer-reviewed essay is available to read at the Essex Student Journal.

Abstract

Under repressive regimes, wherein overt social, political and/or religious criticism is censored, filmmakers rely on symbolism to express resistance.  This essay analyses and compares two Middle Eastern films which both use vehicles and colour symbolism in narratives about female suppression. Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadjda (2012) follows a young female protagonist’s efforts to purchase a bicycle – a vehicle forbidden to girls in Saudi Arabia, while Jafar Panahi’s Offside (2006) explores tensions between female football fans trying to sneak into a World Cup qualifying match in Iran, and the male guards whose duty it is to stop them. Both the bicycle in Wadjda and the football fan buses in Offside are green: a religiously significant colour in Islam, as well as a colour more widely associated with growth and new beginnings. In film, vehicles have historically symbolised freedom and social mobility. By making them green, Al-Mansour and Panahi create potent, multi-layered, culturally-specific symbols which address what Al-Mansour refers to as a ‘tension between tradition and modernity’.  Blending the traditionally significant colour green with symbols of modernity, these filmmakers acknowledge the necessity of compromise and negotiation. As audiences we benefit from learning how to read and understand the rich visual language of symbolism. 

Read the full essay here.