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Hive Health | Mushroom OS | Crying Plants

Special Issue #156

Today is casualSTEM’s third anniversary AND st3v’s second birthday! 🥳 

To celebrate, you now only need 3 referrals to unlock the coolest sunglasses in your referral section.

BONUS: The first 33 readers to 3 referrals get a limited edition sticker pack! (scroll down to see)

Simply forward this email to your friends and tell them to click any “Subscribe Now” button like the one below 👇️ 

Thank YOU for reading along every week!

-Steve

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3 year anniversary!

image created with ChatGPT 4o

We’re celebrating those limited edition stickers with their origin stories. Check out Clickables for recent news!

Bees can tell us how they’re feeling, if we listen. Measuring honeybee response after tapping the outside of their hive acts like a wellness checkup.

  • Electromagnetic shaker gently taps the hive

  • Accelerometer records response vibrations

  • Recordings account for seasonal variation due to temp.

Healthy bees vibrate less during busy summer months and more when huddled together in the winter. Non-invasive inspections enable proactive management while minimizing unnecessary stress for the hive. But have they tried playing music?

Quick! (vote)

What types of music do bees listen to?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below

Mushroom OS - myCPUlium

Your future computer might be a mushroom. Researchers are developing computing infrastructure using fungi mycelium.

  • Mycelium = web-like fungal root structure

  • Forms natural fungal networks to communicate underground

  • Electrodes in mycelium track electrical signals as inputs

They won’t be as fast as traditional computers, but mushroom networks use less energy and can self-repair. This proof-of-concept will eventually lead to commercially viable mycelium computers. I hope they come with mushroom keycaps.

Turns out sad plants actually cry. Researchers tuned in to plant emotions and heard audible signals when their lab garden was thirsty or stressed.

  • Crying plants produce 35 sounds per hour

  • While others only speak up once an hour

  • Ultrasonic plant chatter is inaudible to most humans

Many animals, including bats and moths, may be able to hear and respond to these signals. More research is needed to determine if these are truly cries for help, or simply a reaction to specific stimuli. Brb, apologizing to all my succulents.

Stickers for YOU!

The first 33 readers to 3 referrals unlock this limited edition sticker pack!

casualSTEM sticker pack!

This is in addition to the sweet casualSTEM sunglasses featured below!

How to refer: Simply forward this email to your friends and tell them to click any “Subscribe Now” button like the one below 👇️

Clickables

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Which type of lunar farm would be cooler?”

solar 33%, tree 67%

Can’t wait to hangout in my lunar tree-house!

Make sure you vote up top for next week’s “Unnatural Selection”!

st3v on site

Stickers Ev3rywhere

st3v showing off his limited edition stickers

After personally selecting each part of the limited edition sticker pack, st3v was super excited to share his birthday present!

Claim your sunglasses!

Sharing is caring…and also unlocks cool shades 😎 

You currently have 0 referrals, only 3 away from receiving casualSTEM Sunglasses!.

cS Sunglasses with science flasks

or simply forward this email and tell them to click the “Subscribe Now” button in the intro! (or this one 👇️)

currently available in US only

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