Latest news with #CharlesSpence
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Good news for gardeners! Scientists have uncovered a simple way to boost plant growth - and all you need is a speaker
Gardeners will try almost anything to help their plants grow. From fancy compost to strict watering times or a regular pruning schedule, there are plenty of ways to give flowers a boost. Some even resort to talking to their plants, convinced they 'respond to vibrations'. But scientists have uncovered a simple way to promote growth – and all you need is a speaker. Experts have found that playing music to plants can make them grow heavier and leafier. However, picking the right playlist is of the utmost importance. A study has found that classical music, such as Bach concertos, boost growth while plants exposed to rock music grow more poorly. 'Playing music to plants is not as crazy as it may sound at first,' Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford and co-author of the paper, told The Times. The team suggest that a combination of sound frequencies, the tempo of the music and the instruments involved may have the power to stimulate or curb plant growth. For the research, scientists analysed pak choi plants – a type of Chinese cabbage – that were played rock music, classical music or no music at all in bursts throughout the day. The classical selection was Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, considered masterful examples of balance between assorted groups of soloists and a small orchestra. Instrumental rock and metal was used for the other musical group. Everything else that could affect plant growth, such as temperature, humidity and lighting, was strictly controlled and kept the same for all plants in the study. After a six-week study period, the researchers found that the plants played classical music ended up significantly larger, with an average dry weight of 8.99g. Meanwhile those played no music weighed 6.33g on average, while plants played rock music weighed only 3.12g on average. The pak choi that had been exposed to classical music also produced the highest number of leaves, with an average of almost 17 each compared with only 10 leaves for the plants that were played rock. Pak choi Also known as Chinese cabbage, pak choi is a leafy green vegetable. It can be used as baby leaves in salads or as larger rosettes in a stir fry. It can be grown in as little as four weeks. The plant is in season all year round but prefers cool, damp conditions. Analysis of the roots also showed that plants exposed to classical music had the highest total root volume, measuring 90 cubic centimetres – three times more than those played instrumental rock, which reached only 30 cubic centimetres. The plants grown in silence, however, recorded total root volume of 77 cubic centimetres. The team was led by plant scientists and music experts at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and University Putra Malaysia. They said there was 'promise' around the use of classical music to help stimulate plant growth. 'Classical music may have an effect on plant growth because plants are attuned to vibrations, such as the vibrations of running water in soil, and they react to them biologically,' Professor Spence added. 'Meanwhile the different frequencies in rock music may fall outside the sonic range which boosts plant growth.' He also said that classical music might 'make gardening a more pleasant experience'. Previous studies have also found that plants tend to grow in the direction of soothing music and away from rock music. The findings were published in the journal Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture. The scientists wrote: 'The results reveal that those plants exposed to classical music exhibited significant differences in shoot characteristics with the highest total fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and mean leaf numbers. 'Meanwhile, those plants exposed to rock music demonstrated values that were the lowest across all plant parameters. 'Despite the promise around the use of classical music to help stimulate plant growth, further studies are undoubtedly still needed before any firm conclusions regarding the potential benefits of exposing plants to an acoustic stimulus can be drawn.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The Great British sauce debate is FINALLY settled: Scientists reveal the ultimate condiment to put on chips - and it's bad news for gravy fans
There's no doubt the humble potato chip is an icon of the great British cookbook. From the fanciest bistro to the lowliest greasy spoon, where wouldn't you find a nice hot serving of chips? And whether they're served alongside a posh steak or wrapped in paper with battered fish, there's certainly no shortage of serving options. What's more up for debate, however, is the greatest accompaniment to have with this most beloved of fast food. The burning question of the best chip topping is one that has been debated across pubs, chip shops and households for decades. But now, the debate may just have been put to bed for good – and it's bad news for gravy fans. Scientists reveal the ultimate condiment to put on chips – and there's one clear winner. Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, says salt & vinegar is the top choice, followed by mushy peas. The multi-sensory food expert – who is also the son of a chip-shop owner in Leeds – said the malt vinegar is effective at cutting through the oiliness. 'It always end up over chips underneath so the salt and vinegar combination becomes the familiar option and then gets extended to crisps,' he told MailOnline. Although popular, tomato ketchup is 'perhaps an infantile condiment' because of its sweetness – typically containing one teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon of ketchup. According to the expert, this may be why ketchup is so favoured in the US, which has long had a predilection for oversweet food. Mayonnaise on chips, meanwhile, is an import from continental Europe – likely originating in Belgium, France or the Netherlands. Mayo on 'French fries' memorably triggers the disgust of Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film 'Pulp Fiction'. But Professor Spence is in agreement that there's 'something about the eggy oily texture and insipid colour' that quite rightly puts people off. Dr Sue Bailey, culinary historian and independent lecturer in food science, agreed that acidic condiments like vinegar and ketchup cut through the fatty coating of the chips. But the best sauces with chips are either mayonnaise or tartare sauce, she claims. These have an unctuous consistency but don't fall off the chips when we raise them to our mouth. 'Adhesive viscous or thicker sauces are always popular and the most favoured ones have good clinging or "thixotropic" properties – so mayonnaise and ketchup, possibly curry sauce depending on if a starchy thickener is used in it,' she told MailOnline. Gravy, meanwhile, is just too runny and makes a mess – meaning chips with gravy requires a knife and fork, which is not preferable. As Professor Spence puts it, 'the first taste is with the hand', as the food we feel in the hands influences our perception in the mouth – so when it comes to chips it's best to avoid cutlery. Professor Spence also thinks eating something with a range of colours can 'make what we eat look more attractive' and in turn increase our enjoyment of it. A good example here is pairing the vibrant yellow of chips with the vibrant, glimmering red of tomato ketchup or the almost radioactive green of mushy peas. Conversely, curry sauce and mustard – despite packing a big punch of flavour – rank somewhere near the bottom when it comes to colourful chip toppings. The 2020 YouGov poll asked Brits what they have on their chip. They found tomato ketchup is a popular chip topping in England and Scotland, but in Wales people are more likely to favour curry sauce 'You don't get much colour contrast with curry or mustard and fish and chips,' Professor Spence told MailOnline. Slightly more 'posh' or alternative options at the chippy are a sprinkle of black pepper or a smear of mustard, but these are far from ideal. 'Mustard or black pepper are not standard choices – they're a bit overpowering flavour wise,' Dr Bailey told MailOnline. Professor Spence added that part of what makes a perfect food combination 'depends on what we are familiar with because we have grown up with it'. And this may be why there's so much variation regarding what exactly Brits put on their fries. According to a 2020 poll of more than 36,000 Brits, the most popular chip toppings are tomato ketchup, curry sauce and mushy peas, in that order. However, salt and vinegar was excluded as a choice in the YouGov poll because 'they simply dominate everywhere'. Interestingly, tomato ketchup is a popular chip topping in England and Scotland, but in Wales people are more likely to favour curry sauce. Tomato ketchup triumphs by some margin in England (34 per cent) and Scotland (25 per cent), whereas in Wales curry sauce reigns supreme (35 per cent).
