1. 1 An Electrostatic Theory of How Roots are Attracted to Water Part 1- Roots Attraction to Water Drops Part 2- Roots Attraction to Water Vapor Arde Ramthun, PE March,2012

2. 2 Executive Summary; In 2010, I was doing electrical experiments with roots and noticed that roots were strongly attracted to water drops on the side of the test container (see slides 14-17). I felt that surface tension could be causing this attraction. The roots have a negative voltage (see slides 7- 10)and the water drops have exposed hydrogen bonds (Slide 13). This electrostatic attraction would be increased if the earth’s electric field is polarizing and aligning the water molecules (Slides 18-21). In 2011, I constructed a test chamber (Slide 23) designed to better control the humidity necessary for roots to grow in open air. The test chamber was intended to not have any liquid water present. I eventually had to add a humidifier on a timer to the test chamber because the chamber couldn’t contain the additional vapor pressure (calculated to be up to 0.5 psi). The glass door seals leaked to much. The test chamber is surrounded by warm circulating air to prevent condensation (liquid water) on the inner chamber walls. Roots displaying Geotropism are shown on slide 24. Slides 25-29 show roots being attracted to the vapor cloud created when the humidity drops evaporate into separate water molecules. This is important, because if my electrostatic theory of negatively charged roots being attracted to a water drops exposed hydrogen bonds is correct, then the roots electrostatic attraction to the hydrogen bonds of individual water molecules is correct. However for the root to be drawn to the vapor cloud, the individual molecules in the vapor cloud need to be polarized and bonded together (see slides 18,19). If the individual molecules are not polarized and are not bonded together, the molecules will be effortlessly drawn to the root, but the root will not be pulled towards them. I also believe very small unknown reflective positively charged particles with mass are reflected by the vapor cloud and are flowing into and attracting the negatively charged root (Slide 21, 28, 29). The particles are then Total Internally Reflected throughout the plant and give plant branches the appearance of 3D solid electric Field Lines of Force (See “Lichtenburg Figure or Electric Tree”). Another possibility for the roots attraction to both liquid and vapor water is that there is an internal mechanism within the root which senses water and then strongly overrides the mechanical system thought to cause geotropism in the root (statocyte cells) and mechanically tilts the root causing the root to “bump” into the water.

3. 3 Experiment Purpose: To develop an explanation why roots are attracted to water. To find evidence of very small reflective charged particles with mass flowing upwards from the earth and creating the earth’s electric field. To find evidence to support my Plant, Snowflake, Gravity, Stream Sinuosity, Lightning, Tornado, Dark Matter/ Dark Energy, Universe Expansion, and Black Hole Theory’s.

4. 4 Seeds All of the following seed tests and seed pictures are from (1) uniformly graded commercial field corn variety

5. 5 Test Equipment Volt meter: Fluke 70 digital voltmeter Digital camera

6. 6 Materials Seed corn plastic pans, copper wire and tube, aluminum tubing and bars, stainless steel screws, PVC pipe and fittings, resistors, terminal connectors, silicone caulking, paint sticks, plastic straws, plastic caps, fine sand, tap and distilled water.

7. 7 Sprout Voltage (mVDC) (Sprout means seed and root as a system) 50-200 seeds/week between moist paper towels May-October, 2010 Typical Sprout voltage measurement below right

8. 8 Sprout Voltage cont- Sprout voltage polarity typically positive on seed end and negative on root end

9. 9 Sprout Voltage cont-

10. 10 Sprout Voltage Results Sprouted seed typically has (+) polarity charge and root has (-) polarity charge, however sprouts with opposite polarity have been measured multiple times. Sprout voltage probably caused by chemical activity when seed absorbs moisture and/or polarized sprout moisture. 100% of measured sprouts had voltage (approx. 200 tests run)

11. 11 Water Surface Tension Water drops form because of surface tension. The H2O molecules electrostatic hydrogen bonds in the interior of the drop are in balance, but are not in balance on the drop surface. H2O is a polar molecule. On the drop surface the +hydrogen atoms are more exposed than the (-) oxygen side of H2O molecule. The exposed +hydrogen atoms are thus more available to form hydrogen bonds with negatively charged objects.

12. 12 Part 1- Root Attraction to Water Theory The negatively charged root is attracted to the water surface by +hydrogen bonds. A positively charged root is likewise attracted to the negative (oxygen) side of the water molecules. Therefore a root with either polarity will attract water molecules. An electric field will polarize the molecules in the water drop and increase the number of exposed hydrogen bonds.

13. 13 Simplified Water Molecular System Structure (Molecules are actually in constant motion and H-bonds are short lived) (+) hydrogen is more exposed and able to form hydrogen bonds than (-) oxygen

14. 14 Roots Attracted to Water on 2 sides Notice the water drops on the side and bottom of each pan. The “DC” pan water also was polarized by 5 VDC end to end, but the sprouts showed no response to the polarized water on multiple tests. Roots attraction to these water drops made me think that surface tension was causing the attraction June 11 Test

15. 15 Roots Attracted to Water on 2 sides cont- Roots attracted to water below and drops on side of pan grew towards right. ( Control on left and voltage applied on right removed from pan for end view picture) Roots were attracted to both water drops on side and water in pan below water drops June 11 Test

16. 16 Balanced Attraction August 14 Test, (Water in pan below and condensation on pan cover (not shown) over sprouts) Roots placed to grow upwards normally would grow towards water in pan below

17. 17 Balanced Attraction cont- (Water in pan below and condensation on pan cover (not shown) over sprouts) Roots growing horizontal August 14 Test

18. 18 Dipoles Polarized by Electric Field

19. 19 Electric Field Creating Charged Surfaces

20. 20

21. 21

22. 22 Part 2- Roots Attraction to Water Vapor

23. 23 Roots Attraction to Water Vapor (Test chamber below) 2’D x 3’W x 4’H Test chamber designed to control humidity and limit liquid water Outer insulation shell designed to control temperature and light Circulation fan Electric heater Sealed glass door Outer door

24. 24 Geotropism Water drop attracting root Geotropism causing vertical root growth

25. 25 Test Start-16 Corn Sprouts Transplanted Sprout tips removed Foam sheet on top of humidifier deflecting humidity drops towards test chamber bottom corners.

26. 26 Roots on left are either: 1) sensing vapor concentration in corner and are being internally directed, or 2) are being electrostaticly pulled towards vapor concentration in corner. (The roots with tips removed on the right are not growing at all.)

27. 27 Humidity drops are assumed to be completely evaporated, so all H 2 O molecule are separated. I believe this is evidence that the earth’s electric field is polarizing the vapor cloud and causing electrostatic “stickiness” similar to surface tension on liquid water.

28. 28

29. 29

30. 30 Conclusion Roots have a significant voltage. Water drops have more exposed hydrogen bonds to attract the roots if the earth’s electric field polarizes the water molecules. Water vapor polarized by earth’s electric field could be causing the individual water molecules to pull on each other and cause a “stickiness” similar to surface tension in water drops. Roots attraction to water vapor is much stronger than roots attraction to gravity. The roots could be sensing and reacting to both the liquid and vapor water by a cellular mechanism.

31. 31 Questions?