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Surprising Science — November 21, 2010

Is Wi-Fi Bad for Trees?

Wi-Fi may be killing trees. A study by a Dutch university suggests that Wi-Fi radiation causes strange abnormalities in trees and stunts the growth of other plants, such as corn.

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The dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn commissioned the study five years ago to figure out why their city’s trees were developing weird growths. The study, conducted by a researcher at Wageningen University, found that 70 percent of trees in urban areas exhibited similar symptoms today, while only 10 percent did five years ago. What’s to blame for the increase? Wi-Fi, maybe. The study exposed 20 ash trees to various radiation sources for a period of three months. Trees placed closest to the Wi-Fi radio demonstrated a “lead-like shine” on their leaves that was caused by the dying of the upper and lower epidermis of the leaves. This would eventually result in the death of parts of the leaves. The study also found that Wi-Fi radiation could inhibit the growth of corn cobs.

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