My wife's boss has had the microwave oven removed from her place of work because he says microwaves are dangerous. He cites the Russian ban on microwave ovens in the 1970's and has stated that seeds will not germinate in water that has been microwaved (so what are they doing to our food?! Or to us!?). Is this true? If so, is it not also true for boiled/distilled/de-ionised water? Is my wife's boss an idiot?
p.s. I am a science teacher, and know full well how microwave ovens work to heat food, but am interested in the prevalence of this absurd notion - send me your thoughts.
2007-02-26 09:26:12 · 7 answers · asked by ironlung 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Your wife's boss is an idiot. This person is in desperate need of a science class.
Water is water. It doesn't matter of you heat it with microwaves, concentrated sun rays, or setting a pot of water on a lava flow.
I defy anyone to show me conclusively that different samples of equal amounts of water and single seeds do not germinate in such water.
If that wasn't so blitheringly stupid it would be a good laugh (not you....the boss). I will certainly share this with my science peers and friends so we can all laught at this person. How sad it has to be to go thru life with this kind of narrow-minded ignorance.
I'd hate to work there......I can't imagine what other lame notions this person has going on in that place of employment.
It proves, yet again, that the less you know the further up the 'ladder' you go.
2007-02-26 09:52:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would not expect water having been microwaved to have any effect on its ability to provide a viable medium for germination of seeds. All microwaves do is heat the water up.
Microwaving the seeds would prevent them from germinating because the heat from the microwaves will denature the proteins in the germ. This is no different from heating them conventionally.
The only case I can think of where seeds will not germinate in microwaved water is if the water is boiling when the seeds go in - and therefore end up cooked.
Your boss's wife is not necessarily an idiot - just poorly informed. People buy these antenna shield things for their mobile phones, wear copper bracelets for rheumatism and believe that Princess Diana's death was the result of a government conspiracy rather than her driver have alcohol in his bloodstream, driving way too fast in a tunnel and her not wearing a seat belt.
Perhaps it's better just to consider your boss's wife as a vector for this particular meme.
2007-02-26 09:40:31 · answer #2 · answered by davidbgreensmith 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Essentially, seeds of land plants will not germinate in water at all. They must generally absorb water to initiate the metabolic processes necessary for germination, but all further processes are aerobic. Most seeds of land plants can stand short periods of waterlogging but if left in water they will drown. It is quite common practice to add different things to the water in which seeds are to be imbibed, mainly to affect the osmotic balance and avoid things being leached out of the seed by using pure water. However, microbial count etcetra will not affect the germination On the subject of microwaves, soil can be sterilised in a microwave oven and then confidently used for growing plants/seeds. It takes about 30 minutes on high. Ovens which are not tested for leakage and safety of the door seals are indeed dangerous, to be certain of safety, you need to stand one metre away (this is the distance the leakage could potentially travel).
2007-02-26 12:48:03 · answer #3 · answered by DIANNE M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, your wife's boss is an idiot.
Clearly and demonstrably microwaving water will not make the blindest bit of difference to seed germination. It may well temporarily partially sterilise the water, but so what? As you say - absurd.
But then again he is responsible for H & S at work and delusional.
2007-02-26 09:43:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not if it is still boiling hot when you add the seed to it. You will have bean soup.
Otherwise, I don't think that water has a "memory" that tells the seeds that the water that they are using has been microwaved.
2007-02-26 10:03:27 · answer #5 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you've just found an experiment for your class. Let us know the results.
I can't, for the life of me, see why it should. Your wife's boss is probably American. They're all paranoid.
2007-02-26 09:30:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes unless the water is still boiling ... i reckon
ill try that out
2007-02-26 09:30:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋