Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, November 19, 2016

THE WORLD AROUND US

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 19, 2016 


PLUTO’S ICY, SLUSHY HEART


Beneath Pluto’s “heart” lies a cold, slushy ocean 
of water ice, according to data from NASA’s New 
Horizons mission. In a paper published in the 
journal Nature [http://www.nature.com], the New 
Horizons team reports that the dwarf planet’s most 
prominent surface feature—a heart-shaped region 
named Tombaugh Regio—may harbor a bulging, 
viscous, liquid ocean just below its surface.

 The existence of a subsurface ocean may solve 
a longstanding puzzle: For decades, astronomers 
have observed that Tombaugh Regio, which is 
Pluto’s brightest region, aligns almost exactly 
opposite from the dwarf planet’s moon, Charon, in 
a locked orientation that has lacked a convincing 
explanation.

 A thick, heavy ocean, the new data suggest, may 
have served as a “gravitational anomaly,” or weight, 
which would factor heavily in Pluto and Charon’s 
gravitational tug-of-war. Over millions of years, 
the planet would have gradually turned itself, 
aligning its subsurface ocean and the heart-shaped 
region above it, almost exactly opposite along the 
line connecting Pluto and Charon.

 “Pluto is hard to fathom on so many different 
levels,” says New Horizons co-investigator Richard 
Binzel, professor of Earth, atmospheric and 
planetary sciences at MIT. “People had considered 
whether you could get a subsurface layer of water 
somewhere on Pluto. What’s surprising is that 
we would have any information from a flyby that 
would give a compelling argument as to why 
there might be a subsurface ocean there. Pluto just 
continues to surprise us.”

 During its flyby of Pluto, New Horizons collected 
measurements of surface features, including the 
dimensions of Pluto’s bright, heart-shaped region. 
The researchers determined that the heart-shaped 
region is aligned directly opposite from the 
direction of Charon.

 The massive basin also appears extremely bright 
relative to the rest of the planet, and the reason, the 
New Horizons data suggest, is that it is filled with 
frozen nitrogen ice.

 Previously, Binzel and the New Horizons team 
had found evidence that this liquid nitrogen may 
be constantly refreshing, or convecting, as a result 
of a weak spot at the bottom of the basin. This weak 
spot may let heat rise through Pluto’s interior to 
continuously convect the ice, bubbling it over “like 
boiling oatmeal,” Binzel says.

 To the New Horizons team, a weak spot in 
Sputnik Planitia’s basin suggests that the planet’s 
crust, particularly in this region, must be quite thin. 
If a massive impactor indeed created the basin, it 
may have also triggered any material beneath the 
surface to push the thin crust outward, causing a 
“positive gravitational anomaly,” or a thick, heavy 
mass, that would have helped to align the region 
relative to Charon.

 But what sort of material would create enough of 
a gravitational weight to reorient the planet relative 
to its moon? To answer this, the team turned to a 
geophysical model of Pluto’s interior, working in 
measurements from the New Horizons spacecraft.

 “Pluto is small enough that it’s just about almost 
cooled off but still has a little heat, and it’s about 2 
percent the heat budget of the Earth, in terms of 
how much energy is coming out,” Binzel says. “So 
we calculated Pluto’s size with its interior heat flow, 
and found that underneath Sputnik Planitia, at 
those temperatures and pressures, you could have 
a zone of water-ice that could be at least viscous. It’s 
not a liquid, flowing ocean, but maybe slushy. And 
we found this explanation was the only way to put 
the puzzle together that seems to make any sense.”

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com.


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

THE MORINGA TREE

THANKSGIVING QUANDARY: 

ROAST TURKEY OR LAME DUCK

[Nyerges is a botanical educator, 
and author of such books 
as “Guide to Wild Foods,” 
“Foraging Wild Edible Plants 
of North America,” and “How 
to Survive Anywhere.” For 
information about his classes 
and books, contact him via 
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com, or Post Office Box 41-834, 
Eagle Rock, CA 90041.] 

 Many years ago, after already spending more than a 
decade studying botany and agriculture, I became involved 
in a project to find “the best” plants to grow in the backyard 
small-farm. We attempted to define “the best” in terms of 
hardiness, longevity, medicinal aspects, and broad nutritional 
ingredients. We came up with many “best of the best” plants 
– such as amaranth, quinoa and lamb’s quarters, olives, dates, 
winged bean, water hyacinth, various citrus trees, and many 
others. That project began around 1984, and in all these years, 
I’d never heard of the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera) until 
approximately 10 years ago. 

 I knew that many claims were made about it, mostly 
nutritional and medical claims, and my first use of it was 
when I was attempting to find an iron-rich food for a 
friend requesting it. (Somehow, this friend thought I knew 
everything about everything and where to get anything 
that was ever needed!) I located a package of the frozen 
“horseradish tree” leaves from a Chinese grocery store, which 
were high in iron, and quite tasty when cooked up like greens. 

Later, at a farmers market, one of vendors began selling young 
moringa trees, as well as the seeds and powdered leaves as 
food supplements. Since I began to hear many of the same 
medical claims repeated, I tried added the powdered leaves 
into drinks and soups, and found it bland, to acceptable, to 
terrible. I wasn’t a fan of the flavor of the dried and powdered 
leaf. Of course, I had no idea how old it was, and how it had 
been dried. 

 Soon thereafter, I obtained lots of the seeds so I could 
experiment with growing the plant, and also obtained a 
few approximately 4 foot tall potted moringa trees which I 
intended to grow and eat. 

 The fresh leaves are actually quite tasty, and have a bit of 
a mustard-type spiciness. We tried them fresh in salads, and 
enjoyed them. I also dried some of the leaves that I picked 
off this plant, and then added it to some soup and vegetable 
dishes, and this too was quite good. It was unlike the powder 
that I purchased at the farmers market, perhaps the freshness 
made the difference. 

 I knew that the tree was a member of the pea family, so 
that simply by growing it, the nitrogen in the soil is increased. 
And by now, I had many flats of the seeds, nearly all of which 
sprouted and were growing quickly. Though the tree can get 
very tall, you can keep them into bush sizes if you regularly 
trim the leaves to eat. 

 Moringa grow naturally around the belt of the equator, and 
because it can grow just about anywhere with very little care, 
it’s one of the ideal trees for reclaiming poor land. Eucalyptus 
has been used for land-reclamation, but it’s really only a 
good tree to plant from the standpoint of a lumber supply. 
Otherwise, eucalyptus is really not a good tree to grow near 
farms or gardens. They dry up wells, their oils make other 
crops grow poorly, nothing else grows under them, grazing 
animals don’t eat the leaves, and the soil becomes less able to 
absorb water, leading to runoff and flooding after rain. 

By contrast, moringa is just the opposite. It’s entirely edible, 
and it improves the soil. The tree is a member of the Pea 
Family, whose roots fix nitrogen in the soil, improving the 
soil where it’s grown. 

 I’m still just a beginner with the moringa tree, but I am 
amazed at all the good things I read about it, and so far, I’m 
not finding any bad things about it. I eat a few leaves each 
day, and in my own back yard, my moringa tree has grown 
another two feet in a month! 

 Others have reported that the tree grows like a weed, and 
it’s found growing in a belt across the globe, roughly above 
and below the equator in Mexico to northern South America, 
in Africa, Egypt, the Middle East, and southern Asia. It turns 
out that some of the most impoverished countries in the 
world are found in this belt. 

 One of the researchers who touts the values of moringa 
states that, in spite of all its values, he doesn’t recommend 
growing one in your backyard because the leaves are very 
small and that it’s a “timely and exceedingly tedious task to 
harvest the leaves” in order to eat them. Dr. Mercola perhaps 
just doesn’t have a green thumb, but I’ve found that this tree 
completely fits my definition of an ideal plant for the lazy 
man’s garden: It takes hardly any work, it survives, and it’s 
easy to use for food. I’ve regularly picked off leaves to add to 
salad, and some added to soup, and we’ve also picked some to 
dry for other experiments. I don’t find picking the leaves to be 
an exceedingly tedious task at all. 

 Keep in mind that if you grow this tree in your backyard it 
can get very large, up to 30-feet tall. If you want the tree to stay 
smaller, you top it so that it gets bushy and all future growth is 
easier to harvest. 

NUTRITION OF THE MORINGA 

 Let’s look at the nutritional breakdown of the moringa 
leaves. The figures given here are based on two analyses. One 
was an analysis done at the National Institute of Nutrition 
in Hyderabad, India (“Nutritive Value of Indian Foods” by 
Gopalan, et al), and the other was an analysis done by Church 
World Service, Dakar, Senegal (“The Miracle Tree: Moringa 
oleifera; Natural Nutrition for the Tropics,” Lowell Fuglie).

The fresh leaves contains about 4 times the vitamic A 
of carrots, 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the 
calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of bananas, . the 
iron of spinach, and about twice the protein of yogurt. When 
you dry the leaves, of course, they are concentrated, so 100 
grams of the dried leaf contains about 10 times the vitamin 
A of carrots, . the vitamin C of oranges (Vitamin C is not 
retained when drying), 17 times the calcium of milk, 15 times 
the potassium of bananas, 25 times the iron of spinach, and 9 
times the protein of yogurt. (The exact figures can be seen at 
www.treesforlife.org.).

VARIOUS MEDICINAL ASPECTS OF MORINGA

ANTIOXIDANTS 

 According to the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer 
Prevention, “The leaves of the Moringa oleifera tree have 
been reported to demonstrate antioxidant activity due to 
its high amount of polyphenols. Moringa oleifera extracts 
of both mature and tender leaves exhibit strong antioxidant 
activity against free radicals, prevent oxidative damage to 
major biomolecules, and give significant protection against 
oxidative damage.” 

BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS 

 One research study with diabetic patients found that 
adding 50 grams of moringa leaves to a meal reduced the rise 
in blood sugar by 21 percent. 

 Moringa appears to have anti-diabetic effects, apparently 
due to compounds contained in the leaves, including 
isothiocyanates. Another study involved women who took 
seven grams of moringa leaf powder daily for three months, 
and reduced their fasting blood sugar levels by 13.5 percent. 

CHOLESTEROL 

 According to a report in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 
moringa has cholesterol-lowering properties. One study with 
animals found that the effects were comparable to those of 
the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin. 

There is also an oil made from the moringa seed, with many 
reputed health effects. I have yet to try it. 

MORINGA WATER PURIFICATION

 One of the more interesting uses for this plant is that in 
many parts of the world it is used to purify river water, which 
can be highly turbid. Normally, the turbidity is removed 
by treating the water with chemicals, such as aluminum 
sulphate, which is usually costly. 

 To purify water, the moringa seeds are crushed into a 
powder, and mixed into the river water. The moringa powder 
then naturally combines with the solids in the water and sinks 
to the bottom of the container. This simple treatment has 
been shown to remove 90 to 99% of the bacteria in the water. 
Some experimentation is necessary because the impurities in 
water will vary, and some waters will require more of the seed 
powder. 

INCLUDING MORINGA IN YOUR DIET

 If you grow a moringa tree, you can simply pinch leaves as 
needed, and add to your meals. Add the leaves to salads, or 
cook and serve them like spinach. 

We’ve experimented also with making some of the powder, 
and then adding that to soups, and other vegetable dish. So 
far, we like it, but we especially like the fact that we’re eating 
something that’s apparently really good for us. 

SOURCE OF SEEDS

 Try your local farmers market or nursery. 

 If you cannot find any, you can purchase a package 
of the seed for growing from Survival Seeds, Box 41834, 
Los Angeles, CA 90041, for $7., which includes tips and 
growing instructions.

My father used to tell me anything worth doing was 
worth doing right the first time. If you have time to do 
it the second time, you have time to do it right the first 
time.

As fathers go, he was right. It seems most people have 
not learned this lesson, least of all politicians who are 
supposedly serving the interests of their constituency. 
I know there are good politicians in America today. 
Nobody seems to know who they are, though.

 The reason I have been thinking about this is I'm sitting 
here indulging in the delicate aroma floating in from the 
kitchen where the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
has begun her ritual of roasting the Thanksgiving turkey. 
I say turkey, but really, she is roasting three turkeys. One 
is for our family Thanksgiving dinner and the other two 
are for the church Thanksgiving dinner.

 Somewhere along the line, probably years before she 
met me, she learned the magnificent secret of doing 
things right the first time. Not like some people we hear 
about these days who don't have time to do it right the 
first time, but seem to have plenty of time to do it over 
and over again, sometimes four times.

 Anything worth doing right the first time demands 
planning. If anyone knows planning, it certainly is my 
wife. If things were left up to me, nothing would ever get 
done. I plan to learn how to plan someday, but my plans 
seem to have fallen apart.

 In our home, it begins about the middle of October 
when my wife says rather pensively, "Let's see. 
Thanksgiving is about five weeks away. Should we have a 
turkey this year?"

I can never tell if this is a real question, a rhetorical 
question or if she is trying to set me up for something. 
Believe me; I've been set up so many times I have a hard 
time lying down. For the first hundred years of our 
marriage, I always said, turkey. After all, what else do 
you have at Thanksgiving time?

 However, this year was a little different. When I 
responded with my usual answer she said, "But we've had 
turkey for years. Aren't you growing bored of turkey?"

If there's one thing I don't ever get tired of it's turkey. You 
can do so many things with turkey. There is roast turkey, 
sliced turkey sandwiches, turkey salad and turkey soup 
just to name a few.

 The only problem at our house is, the turkey rarely 
survives the first day, which is a tribute, not so much 
to our consumption as a family as to the genius of the 
family chef. I have often wondered what turkey soup 
really tastes like.

 This expertise in the direction of the Thanksgiving 
roast turkey did not come without cost. It took years 
for my wife to master the art of roasting a turkey. 
Unfortunately, much of this practice was on Yours Truly. 
She has been roasting me for years and still complains 
that I'm not quite done yet. That really burns me up.

 Only last week she complained I was a little hard on 
the outside and rather soft on the inside. I was tempted 
to shift the blame on her but when it comes to this area; 
I am more of a lame duck than a finely roasted turkey. 
My philosophy is along these lines; I'd rather let things 
happen and then try to adjust to the consequences.

 My good wife is of the opinion that you create your 
own consequences. Moreover, when she says this she is 
usually looking at me a little askew.

 "Don't you know that the Thanksgiving Turkey does 
not roast itself?"

 Being the lame duck I am, that thought never played 
with my mind. I have always enjoyed the results of the 
roasted turkey without a thought about how it got to my 
table.

 While I was enjoying the aroma of the turkey roasting 
in the kitchen, I came up with several suggestions along 
these lines.

 First, I need to find things that are worth doing in the 
first place. How much time I have wasted on things not 
really worth my time or effort is beyond my computation. 
Like my wife, I need to be a little more picky about the 
things I choose to do. Not everything is worth my time.

 Second, those things worth doing certainly deserve 
my best efforts. If I have to redo something, it means 
I'm not putting my best effort into the project. And at 
my age, I don't have time to waste on things that are not 
worth my best effort.

 Third, there is no finer satisfaction than a job well 
done.

I never understood that until recently. In the middle of 
our Thanksgiving dinner when everybody is enjoying 
the food and complementing the chef, my wife is sitting 
in her chair smiling. I never really knew why until now.

 This must be how our heavenly Father felt with Jesus at 
his baptism. "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily 
shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from 
heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I 
am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22).

 The best way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to recognize 
the wonderful work God has done for our salvation, 
which did not come without the ultimate cost, the 
sacrifice of His Son. This was done once and for all.

 

 Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God 
Fellowship, Ocala, FL 34483, where he lives with the 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-866-
552-2543, e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. Website is www.
jamessnyderministries.com.


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