Hi there. Off topic if you do not mind. I live in the NWP near the Canadian boarder. This past summer, we had a catnip plant that mutated. I have pictures of the mutated catnip and pictures of non mutated catnip. If you are interested I can email the pictures to you. I understand our magnetosphere is thinning and cosmic rays are coming in. Could the cosmic rays be the reason the catnip mutated?
This is a guess. My answer is "probably not, but..."
There's a lot of interest in what makes plants mutate as it's a way of creating new varieties of crops. Cross-breeding is one way, and that's capable of producing some strange results. There's also a technique called mutagenesis, where you expose a plant to something to make it mutate.
A common way would be to expose a plant to various chemicals, and with pollution increasing around the world, this could be a source of mutations. Another was is through exposure to radiation. Wikipedia has an article on Atomic Gardening. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_gardening and the IAEA has a division that works on plant breeding https://www.iaea.org/topics/plant-breeding. Spokane is a region with high Radon emissions, so if you're around there then natural background radiation might be a source for mutations.
Given all these earth-bound potential sources for mutations, cosmic rays wouldn't be my first choice for a culprit. If things ever get to the stage where cosmic rays are a likely cause for mutations, then life on Earth is in deep trouble. But the world's a big place. Even if the chances of a cosmic ray striking that plant are tiny, freak events happen so I can't rule it out.
I'm sorry I can't give you a definite answer. If it's any consolation weird mutations in plants have been a puzzle for the best botanists for hundreds of years. See https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012160616300902 or look through Google images for "plant chimera".
Thanks for your response and the links Alun. I had no idea plant mutations have a variety of ways to mutation. When Fukushima happened we had still born and petrified babies from our animals. Their and my thyroid swelled up. I got breast cancer 3 times. I no longer have breast cancer as it goes away on it's own every time. I suspect it is the herbal tinctures I take as they are anti-mutagenic herbs and our well water is alkaline water.
Thanks again.
God bless you and yours with safety and well being.
Hi there. Off topic if you do not mind. I live in the NWP near the Canadian boarder. This past summer, we had a catnip plant that mutated. I have pictures of the mutated catnip and pictures of non mutated catnip. If you are interested I can email the pictures to you. I understand our magnetosphere is thinning and cosmic rays are coming in. Could the cosmic rays be the reason the catnip mutated?
Thank you in advance for your time.
This is a guess. My answer is "probably not, but..."
There's a lot of interest in what makes plants mutate as it's a way of creating new varieties of crops. Cross-breeding is one way, and that's capable of producing some strange results. There's also a technique called mutagenesis, where you expose a plant to something to make it mutate.
A common way would be to expose a plant to various chemicals, and with pollution increasing around the world, this could be a source of mutations. Another was is through exposure to radiation. Wikipedia has an article on Atomic Gardening. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_gardening and the IAEA has a division that works on plant breeding https://www.iaea.org/topics/plant-breeding. Spokane is a region with high Radon emissions, so if you're around there then natural background radiation might be a source for mutations.
Given all these earth-bound potential sources for mutations, cosmic rays wouldn't be my first choice for a culprit. If things ever get to the stage where cosmic rays are a likely cause for mutations, then life on Earth is in deep trouble. But the world's a big place. Even if the chances of a cosmic ray striking that plant are tiny, freak events happen so I can't rule it out.
I'm sorry I can't give you a definite answer. If it's any consolation weird mutations in plants have been a puzzle for the best botanists for hundreds of years. See https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012160616300902 or look through Google images for "plant chimera".
Best, Alun
Thanks for your response and the links Alun. I had no idea plant mutations have a variety of ways to mutation. When Fukushima happened we had still born and petrified babies from our animals. Their and my thyroid swelled up. I got breast cancer 3 times. I no longer have breast cancer as it goes away on it's own every time. I suspect it is the herbal tinctures I take as they are anti-mutagenic herbs and our well water is alkaline water.
Thanks again.
God bless you and yours with safety and well being.