Thanks to the Internet, I had a chance to read an article about "How good is microwave water?". If the results are true the effects of microwaves on water is astronomical on living things. The experiment was done for a 6th grade science fair project in 2006. What this child did was, she took filtered water and divided into two parts. One part boiled in a plastic cup until it boils in a microwave and the other part boiled in a stove, of course not in a plastic container, but it does not say specifically what the water was boiled in. Student then let water to cool down to room temperature and treated two identical plants, only in appearance I guess. In another experiment the student have used two clippings (see image below, bottom right) and went onto say that the clippings were from the same parent plant, so the clippings are genetically identicle.

Hypothesis here is that the microwaved water can compromise the structure that it no longer suitable for plants. I would more like to have the hypothesis to be, whether there is any affects of microwaved water on plants, rather than being biased in the hypothesis itself.

Picture shown in this article is very scary. In that it shows, the plant that fed with boiled water in the microwave, almost dead within almost a week. Where as the other plant thriving.

I rolled up my eyes in disbelief. What do you think? Do you believe this experiment? It is hard to believe that just microwaving water to boiling is as bad as it claims to kill a plant in a week.

Few major improvement to this experiment that I can think of at first reading this article. The experimental design could be better.

1. She microwaved water in a plastic cup. Of course the control boiled in a stove. Like I said it is not a plastic container. So there is a variation added to the experiment in this stage. As we know plastic is not very good heating food, it leach out chemical known to cause health hazard (never use microwave to heat any food in plastic containers, use glass or porcelain, spread the word). That may be the observation here, but I am not sure. Instead plastic she could have used glass in both situation to boil water.

2. Not enough replicates in the experiment. Only one plant in each group, at leas shown in the final data. More plants in the same group would have strengthened the student’s argument.

3. Using soil is a big variable factor. May be there were some predisposed pathogenic conditions in the soil to begin with.

4. You can blindfold the experiment. Meaning someone else can boil water for the student without telling the student which one is which, to eliminate biasness towards the hypothesis.

5. No control experiment. You know, one fed with water that had not being boiled.

I am so skeptical and wanted to find out myself. Good idea you think, OK here is my plan.

1. Boil water in each situation using glass containers.

2. Use bean seeds instead of plants. The reason is as seedlings are much more sensitive to the environment than grown plants, if there were any adverse effect, seedlings would show them at very early stage. Also it is easier to carry out the experiment with multiple replicates. Only thing you have to do here is use a few more seeds instead of one seed. At least five seeds in more or less equal weight in each experiment.

3. No soil in this experiment, there by eliminate soil artifacts. Every thing is done in a container with glass walls or in a glass petri dish so that the pictures can be taken including root growth.

4. Three experiments. Experiment one microwaved boiling water, experiment two boiled water using kitchen stove, experiment three no boiling involved.

You can also do this experiment. It is so simple anyone can do it. I will post the results later with photographs of my experiments as days go by. Aren't you curious, I know I am.......... 

You can read the original article at http://rense.com/general70/microwaved.htm