Transcription may include inaccuracies

Elena Brand:

What if I told you that trees could communicate with each other? That the ocean can change our brain chemistry, and that the moon, storms and even birdsong can have subtle but fascinating effects on our behavior? 

Today, we're exploring the hidden threads that tie us to the natural world. The ones that science is still uncovering and the ones that we've known about for centuries. We don't live separately from nature, but some of those connections are easy to forget. This is the first episode of the Great Green Escape by Aristaios. 

Over the coming episodes, we'll show you the wonders of the natural world and how they connect to us for a blend of ecopsychology, science and wonder. Are you ready? Right now, wherever you are, you're breathing in oxygen that a tree has released. And over the course of a day, you'll breathe in about five trees worth of oxygen. And somewhere, a number of trees are absorbing what you've just breathed out. We exhale about a kilogram of carbon dioxide every day, which on average, about 17 trees will take in. 

Now, if you're surrounded by eucalyptus trees, Australian pines, mangrove trees, wattles or some of our rainforest giants, they'll be the best breeding partners you've ever had, because they inhale mountains of our exhales due to their immense capacity.

It's an exchange, and it's one that happens constantly, yet we rarely actually think about it. But trees don't just share with us underground, they have a unique way of talking to each other. Scientists call it the mycorrhizal network, a web of fungi that connect up tree roots. This web allows them to share nutrients between each other and even to send distress signals when they're needed. Some call it the underground wifi network, but others call it the wood wide web. 

One of the biggest studies on this was led by Dr. Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist in Canada. She found that older, larger trees, or what she calls mother trees, send extra carbon and nutrients through the underground network to younger trees, especially when they're struggling. And it's not just their own species. Simard found that a fir tree can send resources to a neighboring pine tree, even even though they compete for space. Because trees, it turns out, are incredible team players. They're part of just about everything. Well, most of them. Sometimes, when well meaning people interfere, we accidentally remove their access to the wood wipe web without even realising. 

For example, when we transplant a young tree from one location to another, we may have to cut down the root ball to a small size so that we can transport it.

But when we plant it in the ground again. Researchers have found something interesting but sad. In most cases, those trees never really get their connection to the Wood Wide Web back again. The same happens when we plant trees in strange and isolated locations, like between concrete islands on a walkway. Sure, they look beautiful, they produce oxygen and they take in our carbon dioxide. But they're more prone to death and disease because they can't call home for help. I'm lucky enough to be joined by musician and artist Lachlan to tell you a story about the Wood Wide Web.

Lachlan McCallum:

I was studying horticulture at the time. Time spent the day traveling around Bendigo and its surrounds, looking at old Aboriginal artifacts and sacred places. We visited Mount Franklin, which was once an active volcano. That's an interesting story. Maybe for another time, but two things that really stuck with me. The first was visiting a birthing tree just outside of Bendigo. 

This is a 700-year-old eucalyptus tree. The tree is still very much alive, though its insides would have been deliberately burnt out to give it more space. This is where Aboriginal women would go to give birth. And when they had given birth, they'd bury the placenta in the soil so their baby would be one with the land. It's a very sacred place. The second memorable site was a tree that would have been used to make shields. It was just standing there in a paddock amongst hundreds of other trees with nothing to mark its significance. If you weren't looking for it, it would seem like just another tree. But once it was pointed out to me, I realized I was looking at history that goes back further than you can imagine. Both of these are what's known as scarred trees.

All scarred trees are missing pieces, sometimes really large pieces, but are still alive. You yourself may have seen a scarred tree without knowing. Sometimes the cutting marks are still visible on the wood of the trees. If you look really closely, if you see one of them, you're often encouraged to take a photo, record the tree's location and share it with your local council. Not that I was thinking about that at the time, but if I see one again, I remember.

Elena:

In future episodes, we talk about the ways trees affect us. For example, trees release a hormone that makes us feel very calm. It's called a phytonsight. So when you're out walking among them, breathing that in, there's a change happening in you chemically. Perhaps that's why the idea of Japanese forest bathing has become so popular. We also know that urban areas with more trees tend to have better relationships among their residents and less crime. 

Even if those exact same areas previously had higher crime rates, just making the spaces greener would immediately mean less vandalism and aggression, and it slowly reduces all kinds of crime. Our environment plays an enormous role in our behavior. So maybe it's not as amazing as it sounds, but what a wonderful way to create a better place for everyone, including plants, to live. And of course, we know from brain imaging that just looking at a tree can reduce our anxiety. And it doesn't even have to be a real tree, a photo of a tree. We'll do the same trick. Next, we look beyond trees, far, far beyond trees, in fact, to another natural element that demands attention for its surprising impact on us.

We're talking about the moon. 

You may have heard in school about how the moon controls the tides. And most of us forget how, but it actually comes down to gravity. The moon's gravitational pull on the Earth causes the ocean to bulge upwards to meet the moon. And this, and this happens on each side of the Earth, on the side facing the moon and mirrored on the other side too. It creates two high tides on either side. And when the sun, moon and the Earth all meet up for a new moon or a full moon every month, the combined force actually amplifies this. 

So that's the moon affecting water. And you must have heard of the moon affecting animals. And sure, it's where the idea of the wolfman came from. A man who turns into a werewolf on the full moon. And never having seen a wolfman myself, I am curious about how the moon affects animals and us. Well, it comes down to our natural patterns. During full moons, there is better light for animals to see. So naturally, animals that are typically preyed on, like rabbits, quolls and wallabies, will all tend to hide away.

And at the same time, predators might take rest, knowing that it's going to be hard to get a meal that night. Other creatures change their habits during a full moon, too. For example, the moon can trigger a change in Willy Wagtails or Chitty Chitties, who sing more loudly and persistently during a full moon, using the extra light to start attracting a mate more easily and to keep intruders away from their territory. Another species that changes its behavior is bull ants, a tiny but mighty species that has specially designed eyes to make use of light conditions during full moon. Bull ants can find landmarks better, so they do tend to come out and use it for orientation given the opportunity. But when the light becomes blocked, they get confused and they take a long time to get back home. But it's all just part of their journey. So now we get to the big question, the one I'm sure you're all dying to know. What about how the moon affects people?

I’ve invited Lachlan back again to share this with a story about a Swiss experiment.

Lachlan:

12 years ago, a team of researchers at Switzerland's oldest university, the university of Basel (BAH-zul), were determined to find out something unusual.

They were intrigued by the idea that the full moon might affect us more than we realise. People had long claimed that they’d felt “off” during a full moon, or that they’d had some crazy or wild dreams. So science, with its precision instruments and methodical approach, was determined to weigh in, and either prove it or dispel the claims for good.

The study, led by Dr Cajochen (Car-yoken) and his team, wanted to get the facts. They recruited a pool of healthy participants at the University. Picture a modern day Hogwarts-like castle with a completely clean and modern inside… apart from its ancient pharmacy lab, which is still kept near original.

The study had 33 recruits, which was just enough to test some theories and point any future researchers in the right direction. The researchers planned to observe the participants in a controlled sleep lab - Imagine walls full of monitors, and cosy little bedrooms for each person - where they would watch each person’s sleep intently during all of the moon’s phases. And so it began.

So what did they notice?

As the moon got bigger, the researchers found a few odd things. For example, during the full moon, the recruits had much poorer sleep. In fact, they had up to 30% less deep sleep, which meant a lot more tossing, turning, and dreaming. They also found people slept for a shorter time and took longer to go to sleep. So if this happens to you, you’re not alone. Don’t let the skeptics tell you otherwise.

Now, the study didn’t answer how the moon disrupted their sleep, but it did suggest that moon light - even when blocked or filtered - could disrupt melatonin production, which is the hormone that regulates our sleep cycles. So, they theorised, it was the bright light causing the restlessness.

Elena:

But then, almost ten years later, another study was quietly held at another university.

This bring us to the University of Washington in the United States.

This study was groundbreaking, because it focused on how our bodies may have an internal rhythm - a natural, internal clock that responds to lunar activity, even in the absence of light exposure.

They created a controlled lab environment that excluded light, and observed their participants over several lunar cycles. No light was allowed in at night, either artificial or from the moon. Meanwhile, researchers collected data on sleep patterns, heart rates, and hormone levels. What they found was extraordinary.

Just like the Swiss study, they found that sleep patterns were disrupted during the full moon. Again, people had less deep sleep, took longer to fall asleep, and had lower levels of melatonin during the full moon… but this time, there was no moonlight to influence them.

The study suggested that, much like how our bodies respond to cycles of lightness and darkness, we may have an internal lunar clock. This mirrors what we would see in the animal kingdom’s moon-related behaviours around mating and migration - a natural lunar clock.

And maybe, we can embrace that we are just animals. The moon affects all animals; from tiny zooplankton to birds and mammals. Almost all of them synced parts of their behaviour to the moon, whether it was feeding, moving, or mating. So why not us?

So here we are, near the end. We know that the trees relax us; that the moon keeps us up at night; and before we close today, we’re sharing six tiny facts to keep you curious.

One: the heat hypothesis. 

High temperatures have been linked to aggression and irritability in all species, and higher crime rates in ours. This has become known as the ‘heat hypothesis.’

Two: rain and reflection. 

Rainy weather is actively linked to introspection and slower, more deliberate thinking. Overcast skies reduce stimulus, so we go inward, and make decisions more slowly.

Three: the storm barometer. 

Many people report feeling unsettled or energized before storms, possibly due to shifts in barometric pressure. It can also lead to headaches and migraines. So next time there’s a storm coming, see how you’re feeling: unsettled, energised, or with a sore head?

Four: the sun and sleep. 

When the sun hits our eyes in the morning, it’s a cue for our body to wake up. It suppresses melatonin and resets your internal clock. Artificial light can do the same thing on a smaller scale - so if you live in a dark place, keep that up your sleeve.

Five: Birdsong and happy hormones. 

Hearing birds can reduce stress, because we associate it with natural environments and feelings of safety and security. It also activates the happiness hormones in us.

And lastly, six: domesticated animals are wonders. 

Pets regulate emotions, lower blood pressure, and increase oxytocin levels. There was some research earlier this year that made headlines about how having a dog can also help reduce your risk of brain decline.

Elena:

The question isn’t whether we’re connected to the natural world in hidden ways. We are. The question is are we paying attention?

Thanks for joining us for the first episode of The great green escape.

All of the sounds you’ve heard were recorded here in Western Australia.

The great green escape is a podcast by Aristaios. Aristiaos’ purpose is to bring people back to nature, and nature back to people, through places like this podcast, ecopsychology talks, and great collaborations. Work supports re-wilding projects, which this year, includes projects to re-wild the Southern corridor of Western Australia.

If this spoke to you, and you want to explore more, subscribe and join us next time.

We'll see you then.