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Language: en

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So let's say you're lost in the woods.

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First of all, what the hell, how are you lost in the woods, how do not have an emergency plan, a map,

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a cell phone, something, but OK,

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let's say you're lost in the woods, let's say
forces unknown have dropped you off here

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and left you to fend for yourself. OK.
You know that

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given you have no references from the outside world – let's say it's cloudy,

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as it is – so you don't know where the Sun is. You know
that humans will generally wander

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in a very large circle around and around and around

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until they collapse from exhaustion. But you
know that if you keep going in one direction,

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if you manage to keep going straight,
then you might well survive.

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But how do you know you're keeping in one
direction without a compass or a map?

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Well, you should know, this is something
that most people know, that moss

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grows on the north side of trees like this

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Because moss prefers damp conditions, dark conditions,
and in the Northern Hemisphere

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the north side is going to be damper and darker
because the sun will normally shine on the south.

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It's opposite of course in the Southern
Hemisphere, sun's mostly in the north there,

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so moss will grow on the south. But I'm currently in
the Northern Hemisphere – I know that much at least –

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so this must be the north side of the
tree.... No.

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No, actually, that's not true at all
because north

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is that way. North side of the tree:

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no moss. Because it's actually much more
complicated than that, which is something you

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might not know.

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You should not use moss for emergency navigation,

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because the micro climates in the area – 
particularly here, I'm in Ravenna Park in

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Seattle, this is just a ravine with very little in the
way of sun

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from any direction – the micro-climate here
means that the west side of the tree

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is actually going to be the darkest and dankest and mossiest.

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So if you're in a flat plane in perfect
conditions, well perhaps

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it might help you, but for emergency
navigation your best idea...

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Well, look, let's put it this way: I'm not Bear Grylls

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the best way of surviving is not to get lost
in the woods in the first place.

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