WiFi威胁树木的生存？

deciduous 落叶的

dire 可怕的

discoloration 变色

necrosis 坏死

desiccation 干燥

Recently, we've read a few articles stating that, according to research from Dutch scientists, WiFi is bad for deciduous* trees -- so bad, in fact, that it's killing them in urban areas where WiFi networks abound.

However, the situation isn't really so dire* -- not yet, at least.

The research in question was commissioned by the city of Alphen aan den Rijn, a town in the western Netherlands. To learn more, you can read the abstract (Google Translate will come in handy if your Dutch is rusty) or contact the Plant Cell Biology department at Wageningen University, where the research was conducted.

The study determined that radiation from WiFi networks might negatively affect the health of nearby plants.

Ash trees near WiFi access points showed "an increasing number of damage such as cracks, bumps, discoloration* and various forms of tissue necrosis*" over recent years. In seeking to determine whether this damage was due to WiFi networks, the researchers examined trees near known WiFi access points during a three-month period. During this period, leaves within 50 to 300 centimeters of a 100 milliwatt, 2412-2472 megahertz radiation source showed "a metallic luster appearance, a discoloration of the leaves that appeared to result in the disappearance of the outer cell layer of the leaves. The metallic luster was followed by desiccation* and death of a portion of the leaf."

The study also found slower growth and delayed flowering in corn plants near WiFi access points.

The Dutch Antenna Agency says these abnormalities in the trees at Alphen aan den Rijn might simply be due to disease. It also notes that similar studies conducted on other species of trees have not reported the same negative effects.

So, does WiFi kill trees? More research needs to done before anyone can make such a sweeping statement.

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