13th August 2023

What is grooming? Grooming is defined when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. Does Australian science fall into this category, based on my experience I would say yes, but based on my experience I would also say it is possible to make your way in a science career in an ethical sustainable fashion.  The struggle for most of us, isn’t as many would have us believe, our color, race, gender, and with latest iteration on this socioeconomic background, but rather the question around our own identity, thus in an almost Orwellian sense diversity has become assimilation.  Thus the question is how to preserve your identity in what could be the world’s second oldest profession.

With Science week in Australia, and with this festival of nerdery and geekery, there is encouragement to harness this enthusiasm and joie de vie, the energy of youth for the Australian (economy).   My own perspective is I have 3 sons, and I worry about how they will make a living, these are the worries of any parent. Two of my sons live with my wife in Munich. One of these would like to work in science. Recently he's spent some time working, for what the German education system calls Prakticum, in the Munich Botanic Gardens, soaking up the plant sciences. My daughter works as consultant engineer, so there is no shortage of role models nor interest. Now some might question my value as a role model, indeed my value to science in Australia has been questioned by no less than Ed Husic MP and Dr Sophie Scamps MP, and perhaps in a lessor sense ANSTO, but that's fine. I have faith in my own (funded) contributions to both Australian science and technology. Now I work for Germany. The rejection, since it involves not just me, but also my family, actually seems a lot more personal but that's another matter.  However there is a fundamental dishonesty in the narrative, a narrative I would argue is simply a grooming of young people to accept time to reflect upon what this means.

The question I would like to address is the direction than Australian society takes with its relationship to those who work in science and technology. Of course its good that events like Science Week can promote the role of science in society, but the relationship in Australia seems more than a little unhealthy, with a certain neediness on both sides. On the part of those working in science and technology there is a constant craving for more, on the other side, there is a clear voice that Australia must innovate technologically to survive. The relationship is of clear co-dependance, and if the outcome of a dominant technological economy is not realized, doomed to repeat. The most relevant example of this pattern of behavior is the current push towards “defense technologies”, while clearly representing a cognitive dissonance with respect to the climate crisis, defense is a means of easing the anxiety due to that other great existential threat that Australians feel, the yellow peril, in the form of China.

So how do I address this for my sons, how do I help them find a place in what has been for me a fairly problematic workplace?  It is workplace dominated by the needy and insecure, and this neediness is exploited by the Australian political elite.

When I started in science, at the University of Sydney, I began with the aim to study chemistry and physiology. My inspiration for study chemistry was Primo Levi's wonderful book "The Periodic Table" (still sitting on my shelf); having spent some (more) time reading Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" I was drawn to the idea of the animation of chemistry with electricity. My high school teacher suggested I would do really well with physics.....

As a more mature student I arrived in Sydney with my collection of novels, armed with a knowledge of Albert Camus, J G Ballard, William Burroughs and the best education that a under-privileged high school in rural Australia can offer. A chemistry Professor took me under his wing, but then I found this was one of those professors who expected something special from his male “acolytes”….  I often think how good a career move this would have been.  I guess a lot of people had this experience of university, and its probably less acceptable these days, however line between personal surrender to an individual and an organisation is not so clear these days.

My PhD was one of the most intellectual stimulating times of my life, as my thesis work, a 5 year examination, I-kid-you-not, of paper drying.  As a student in a Co-operative Research Centre, the CRC for Hardwood Paper Science at Monash University’s Australia Pulp and Paper Institute a industrial research environment was refreshing after the very fundamental education, and dare I say it, cloying neediness of the more fundamental research environment. Such character failings are more a reflection of science administrators.

The clear narrative for science, from Jason Clare MP, to Ed Husic MP, and the redoubtable Dr Sophie Scamps MP is that it exists to serve society, but will society simply exploit?

Experiments in Soils

There is a great store of experiences in everyday tasks that one performs.  Living on the land I learnt a few things that I would like to share with you.  Working as scientist who research examines the influence of organic matter on soils and natural waters there are some microscopic observations which allow this knowledge to become more general.  My research is on the microscopic origin of the observable macroscopic effects of organic matter on natural systems.

What is organic matter?  The definition of organic matter to the soil scientist differs slightly from its usual meaning.  In a usual gardening context organic matter is anything that was once living which is placed on the soil. 

For the scientist soil organic matter is the homogenous material made largely of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen somewhere between the organism which formed the material and final product, carbon dioxide.  It is not a nutrient in itself but has important effects on the physical properties of the soil and also on the way the soil stores nutrients

The natural process by which organic matter is turned from something identifiable, something heterogeneous, to something relatively uniform or homogenous is not unlike burning but takes place ever so slowly (over a periods up to many thousands of years) and we call it decay.  Finally all the carbon in the organic matter is turned into carbon dioxide[1].  Instead of flames the main agents of transformation are the micro-organisms and fungi within the soil but the final result is the same there is carbon dioxide and free nutrients (ash).  The ash contains mainly minerals which are a very important source of nutrients in the soil. It is obvious that as the process of decay occurs that these will be released slowly, and because this process relies on organisms, the conditions in the soil must suit the organisms.  These micro-organisms may incorporate nutrients into their bodies and when they die they also become decaying organic matter.  If a plant takes up these nutrients, and is eaten, and well you know the rest……

This inter-connection between the various elements of a living environment or an ecology is not always recognised in traditional agricultural systems which more usually identify simple inputs and outputs.  The agricultural system called Biodynamics inspired largely by the writings of Rudolf Steiner, though couched in not quite scientific terminology, represents an important recognition of value of an ecological approach to agricultural systems and an important step in intellectual foundations of Permaculture.   However this knowledge was being gained at more fundamental level since humankind started to rise above subsistence.  I am sure you all have your own experiences.

 Growing up on a farm in western NSW I was the child responsible for the family garden.  While I didn’t realise it at the time, the demands of other farm chores, school and the constraints of growing in a hot and dry climate led me to approach this problem with skills that would later stand me in good stead for my eventual chosen career as a scientist.  In much the same way as the permaculturist learns to gently adapt to their living space, the family vegetable garden became a place to experiment and produce adequate vegetables with the resources available.

Over a period of 10 years or so I learned that incorporation of organic matter into soil could make my plants much healthier and give much better yields.  The soil took a much more heterogenous appearance and rather than a uniform red clay, one could clearly see various cracks, holes and pores through which water, insects and roots could easily travel.  Placing organic matter on top of the soil could protect plants sensitive to the extreme heat of this environment and reduce the time I spent watering, and indeed the amount of precious water that was used.  Another simple but important observation was that this improved soil was in a position of equilibrium, the organic matter on top of the soil would disappear depending on the weather conditions and if nutrients were applied.  The same was true of the improved growing conditions in the soil if the land was vigorously cropped, eventually it would return to the conditions of poor moisture infiltration and drainage, and one would have to apply much more fertiliser to have healthy happy plants. 

It was interesting for to contrast this with my experiments in hydroponics where one applies all the nutrients to plant growing in an inert medium such as vermiculite. If I forgot to tend it carefully it had a tendency to die and the plants seem very sensitive to diseases.  Hydroponics seemed like a lot of work and was not so forgiving of mistakes.  Systems less artificial seemed much more robust and resistant to large changes.

This organic matter seemed to have magical properties!  But its magical properties seemed quite different in different parts of Australia.

The first anecdote took place on a red clay soil which was much degraded by the ravages of time (and man’s agriculture).  I tried the same approach on a sandy loam soil near Faulconbridge.   This soil had the problem of not retaining water so well.  I started to add organic matter to the soil.  In addition to the differing soil type I did not have the large amount of manure that I had in the country.  I found that the effect on the soil was quite different.  Although numerous wide pores formed the soil would not wet very well so we had to use a lot more water to saturate the soil. Interestingly this problem was solved to certain degree by using the old dishwashing water which seemed to help the soil wet and stay wetter.

Organic material has many almost magical effects on the observable, or macroscopic, properties of the soils, including:

• Improving the way which soil retains water but also the drainage and infiltration of water during heavy rain periods.

• Decreasing the amount of fertilisers (natural or artificial).

• Protecting roots from the extremes (heat and cold) of the climate.

By identifying these simple desirable qualities one can start to experiment, and study the effects of modifying your various management practices on the health of your living environment, your own personal habitat!

Without worrying too much about the philosophy of Permaculture it is a practical solution to the problem of living in our modern society.  Not only does the ecological approach to living afford us a green and pleasant environment which incidentally gives us food but it provides a connection to the rhythms of the natural world.  In this way the lifestyle affords both spiritual and physical sustenance. 

Natural systems have the features of remaining robust, and resistant to change.  Manmade systems strive to achieve a constant state struggling against the ebb and flow of the seasons.  While this to a certain degree inevitable, since there is an optimal comfortable environment for humans to exist in, the cost this struggle is to the resources of natural environment.  Permaculture seeks to modify the natural environment in a way which allows a connection to the modern environment avoiding the practice of soil mining.  You buy vegetables from somewhere else takes those nutrients from where the vegetables were grown.  You put your waste in the garbage to be put in a big hole and the rest goes down the toilet.

The scientific method, at least to the experimental physicist/gardener, represents the ability to apply special observations to make generalisations, and on the face of it would seem an ideal tool for helping families or some other social unit to adapt its lifestyle to the environment.  While there are many good books on the subject it is impossible to encompass all the different types of environment which are found in a formulaic fashion.  The philosophy of my research is in the formulation of general principles which may allow us to better sustain and even enjoy the resources that we have.  So the next time you go out into your garden think perhaps of scientific methodology, start with a hypothesis, and test it.  Also remember that part of the scientific tradition is the free exchange and debating of ideas. Talk to your neighbours!

[1] As well as being an important issue in the degradation of Australian soils by conventional agricultural methods CO2 released from degradation of soil organic matter has formed an important contribution to the rise of Greenhouse gases.

SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE

The Seed Savers’ Handbook[1] is a fabulous book.  It contains instructions to collect and save seeds.  At philosophical level it represents a very fundamental movement for humans to adapt to their environment and to view their habitat as an ecology.  In this article I discuss the fundamental genetic characteristics of natural systems (variability), how they can be exploited by the permaculturist in a very practical sense, and the fundamental oversight of molecular biologists who try to design a perfect plant (genetic engineering).

I was always fascinated with seeds as a child.  From a seemingly inanimate object sprung forth and grew into a living organism.  The miracle was the multitude of form and shape which sprang forth from these nondescript objects.  The other miracle was that they knew when to germinate.  This was especially true of the persistent and successful weeds, which recognised the time of year which was most advantageous for them to begin growth, or germinate.  Like weeds humans tend grow and proliferate in ideal conditions, and like weeds they have humans have the ability to modify and dominate the environment.

Inside, perhaps at the very centre, of the cell of a plant is a collection of large spiral molecules called DNA.  These molecules essentially act as a tape recording of the instructions for the plant to produce all the difference parts of the plant, the roots, leaves, fruit and perhaps other woody tissue.  When a seed germinates, these instructions are implemented, and after an interaction with the environment, the final form of the plant is produced.  Of course it is these instructions are the very identity of the plant.  For the same species of plant, these instructions are reasonably similar between different plants, and a small amount of variability is an important quality.  Through sexual reproduction, or the production of seeds, this variability is explored further.  An essential difference with transgenic plants is that this code is defined by the scientist.  There is no variability or ability to adapt.

Perhaps you remember Jacob Bronowski’s wonderful TV series “The Ascent of Man” (or book[2] if you are technologically challenged)?  Bronowski examines the adaptations which lead to humankind becoming so successful on this planet.  A key adaptation of humankind is the ability to circumvent natural selection through observation of the natural environment and implementation of these observations.  A long time ago some protohuman, perhaps we could him Bill, observes the role of seeds in the propagation of plants, and the production of food for various animals in food chain.  Bill believes that he can harness the power of seeds to help his tribe in the struggle of life by harvesting and them growing them.  In a profound step for prehistory, humankind has left the constraints of the hunter-gatherer and entered the realm of civilisation, where the inhabitants harness nature to begin agriculture.  In this way it is not the technological triumph of the wheel, but the ability to imitate an ecology and to build a living space, and perhaps transcend the constraints of nature, represents the true ascent of man to civilisation.  Bill has much to teach us.

So what are the essential features of an ecology with seeds, and how do we implement them in the Permaculture garden?

Firstly the germination conditions should suit the growing conditions for the plant.  A simple example is that growing a tomato seed which germinates during the winter will simply succumb to the frosts.  The grower in this case is constrained by the nature of the seeds, and to leave the plants to germinate by themselves is simply not practical.  Thus the grower will not always plant the seeds directly into the garden in optimum and growing conditions, both in terms of soil, aspect and seasonal conditions.  In some cases it is possible to imitate the natural ecology more fully, both for aesthetic and practical reasons (saving on labour), and establish a system which is entirely self sustaining or self seeding.  Plants which are suited to this approach typically produce large numbers of seeds which have very specific environmental cues to germinate.  In my little garden I have a beautiful patch of self-seeded parsley and lettuce.  Apart from looking and tasting good, it requires next to no maintenance apart providing adequate soil conditions (moisture and nutrients) and the occasional thinning.  At the end of the growing season I might choose to move the patch simply by removing the mature plants and distributing many seeds in a new garden bed.

How does the grower store seeds?  The recipe can be given in the Seed Savers’ Handbook.  When we choose to store seeds away from the natural environment we choose conditions which mimic an environment which do not lead to germination.  Cool dry and with a stable temperature are the best conditions.  At some stage we may wish to germinate these when the natural environment will not permit germination and then we manipulate the conditions to optimise germination.

The selection of plants for seed saving is discussed at some length in The Seed Savers’ Handbook, but in general one can summarise by suggesting to select seeds from plants which are healthy, and therefore do well in your particular environment, and have desirable characteristics, taste and look good.  Of course there may be a degree of compromise between the two priorities, a truly wild type plant  will not necessarily have good food characteristics, but it is good to remember that wild characteristics include the ability to resist perturbations in growing conditions, and include a larger variety of characteristics than highly domesticated species. Artificial systems, such as selectively bred hybrids or transgenic plants, are optimised simply for production of a type of fruit or pesticide resistance etc.  Importantly for the permaculturist they lack the essential genetic variability which allows the plant and grower to adapt the cultivar or species to the particular local growing conditions.

In nature seeds are timed to germinate of a range of times.  They are timed to germinate over a range of times and conditions though when we grow we must fool them into germinating over a narrow range of times.  While selective breeding is made make seeds breed true to there type they also bed to give a uniform germination.

In the reality “Bill” is probably successive generations of humankind.  As Jacob Bronowski argues, the true measure of man’s ascent, is not the reaching the heights of genetic supremacy but the ability to adapt using that rather large brain.  This is something that plant geneticists could bear in mind when trying to design genetically or transgenic superior species.

[1] “The Seedsaver’s Handbook” by Michel and Jude Fanton, The Seed Savers Network (1993).

[2] "The Ascent of Man" by Jacob Bronowski, Little Brown & Co (1974).

Physical Paleobiology?

A nice picture drawn by student (praktikum from gymnasium). What a nice way to say thanks! We did some X-ray scattering from the stomach contents of this beastie's remains (found at Lake Mungo, died ca ~ 50, 000 years ago). A budding biologist convinced that physical measurements are useful! One of the downsides of this "democratic" society we live in is the innately competitive nature, and the problem of always having to justify our (physical sciences) perspective (to the exclusion of others). We lose a sense of value of other perspectives. This problem is at the heart of the crisis for academic funding in Australia. An artist and a biologist this time, who next? 

Australian scientific refugee making sense of scientific culture, parenting and the poetry of life. Chris' current work role is both as a mentor of young (and older) scientists, and as an active researcher.  He works in a highly interdisciplinary, collaborative and international environment following his passion for sustainable technologies.  As a research scientist he applies advanced physical characterizations at the interface between biology and materials science.  As a mentor he actively promotes diversity in the scientific and academic workplace seeking to engage those with diverse paths to scientific careers.

Chris’  research explores an underlying theme which is the difference between the behavior of molecules singly, and as ensembles, or in more complicated mixtures. The differences are due to the inter-molecular interactions, and interactions between molecules and the host matrix. Particular foci to date have been cell walls of plants (industrially important group of materials called cellulosics), understanding the self-assembly of block co-polymers and the materials science around food.   

He worked for almost 20 years at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology making an emphatic contribution to the success of the small angle neutron scattering instrument QUOKKA. To date small angle scattering and contrast variation have been important tools to give a structural perspective for his research.  Now he has moved to new challenges at the Technical University of Munich in the form of neutron spectroscopy. Chris is currently exploring the role of molecular dynamics in soft condensed matter.

Where am I?

An Australian in Bavaria

When I moved to Munich from Australia, via Sweden with part of my family, my wife and younger two children at the start of 2021, we were more than a bit nervous about Munich/Germany.  Looking back, although difficult, the challenges of this move are paying off with my family stressing less and able to laugh, even enjoy aspects of our new life, and look forward to the benefits of a life in Munich.  It has been quite challenge for us all, that inevitable sense of identity loss that follows when one moves to a country where the language is not your own.  It will be interesting to see if we can gain that that sense of identity and useful contribution to Munich, German and European society in the longer term.

My family and I moved to the Swedish university city of Lund in mid 2019 from Sydney. I was taking a sabbatical from my position at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (just out outside Sydney) where I worked as an instrument scientist.  Gradually as the pandemic progressed it became increasingly difficult to return to my position in Australia.  Thankfully my very particular skill set, and I am no generalist, was recognized by TUM and a position was offered in the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum.  From a professional perspective, although a more than a little scary for someone in their mid-50’s to move employers and countries, perhaps even take up a new language, the breadth of intellectual life makes me as excited as when I finished my PhD 14 years ago…… or perhaps even when I moved from the country to the city in Australia to give up a life on a farm to become a scientist.

I grew up in a small central Australian rural town called Gilgandra (see map).  In the local indigenous language this words means “long waterhole”.  Many of the local names for places you find around here are related to water.  You would expect this given the dry and hot nature of the climate.  My kids are fascinated by my childhood – among my reputed skills are driving a tractor, hunting, horse breaking and shoeing.  I think they believe that there is some embellishment of the truth – but as is often the case the truth is stranger and less relatable that fiction.  Living on the land instilled in me a lifelong fascination with plants and how they adapt to (adverse) environments and a habit of gardening encouraging, plants to grow and give food.  I still go back to my home town every few years – my father is buried here.  Its heart rending to see the havoc that climate change and environmental degradation has wreaked on this society and way of life.

We arrived from Sweden in early January 2021 – there was a lot of snow.  While for my Munich colleagues snow was kind of ordinary it was exciting for me and my family.  Apart from the year and a half in Sweden my kids and I have grown up in the warmer climes of Australia.  Many weekends, and many afternoons and mornings during the week in the warmer months, and maybe the slightly less warm months were spent at the beach.  As the weather warmed in Munich we pursued the snow up into the mountains finally baulking at the effort in ascending the Zugspitze. Australia is rather flat and so the attendant vertigo of looking down and out was a little daunting. Thankfully the snow has returned just outside our door this winter.  One of our sons is thinking about learning to ski.

In August most of our Australian household came in a container to Munich with it many of the gifts from wedding.  My wife was born in the Soviet Union, in what was to become the Caucasian country of Azerbaijan, and so our household reflects this journey, there are Georgian drinking glasses and plates from the DDR which came to Munich by way of Moscow, Baku and Sydney.  My wife’s native language is Russian, after Azerbaijani a Turkic language, in my house Russian is a third language.  Weeks are punctuated with blini, qvevri wine, chacha and other parts of a strange post-Soviet cargo cult with announcements in a strange hybrid of Australian English and Russian increasingly punctuated with German.  

After almost 1 year in Bavaria I think my family and I are finally coming to terms with living in this country in the time of the pandemic.  As this situation resolves we are looking forward to venturing further into a different kind of Germany, and into Europe. Unlike my ancestors, prisoners compelled to move to a strange new country, Australia, in the mid-19th century from their English and Irish homes, the connections to my home are strong.  That is the great gift of the internet.   

Where did I come from?