Apparently tree FINGERPRINTS are a thing

Thanks to the ASCEND project for partnering with us on this video!
Every species on Earth has a fingerprint - whether or not they have fingers at all.
LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Spectral fingerprint: the distinctive pattern of radiation reflected by a surface (or a species) as a function of the wavelength
- Spectroscopy: the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation
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CREDITS
*********
Kate Yoshida | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
neptunestudios.info
OUR STAFF
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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Alex Reich • Henry Reich • Peter Reich
Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
OTHER CREDITS
*****************
Photo of Forest in False Color from:
Sapes, G., C. Lapadat, A. K. Schweiger, J. Juzwik, R. Montgomery, H. Gholizadeh, P. A. Townsend, J. A. Gamon, and J. Cavender-Bares. 2022. Canopy spectral reflectance detects oak wilt at the landscape scale using phylogenetic discrimination. Remote Sensing of Environment 273:112961. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.11...
Photo of Oak Wilt from:
J. Antonio Guzmán Q., Jesús N. Pinto-Ledezma, David Frantz, Philip A. Townsend, Jennifer Juzwik, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Mapping oak wilt disease from space using land surface phenology, Remote Sensing of Environment, 298, 2023, 113794. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.11...
Satellite Images from Google Earth
Antarctica: Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO. U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat / Copernicus
Amazon Rainforest: Landsat / Copernicus
Northeastern cost of Australia: Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO. Landsat / Copernicus. TerraMetrics
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REFERENCES
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Hollings, T., Burgman, M., van Andel, M., Gilbert, M., Robinson, T., & Robinson, A. (2018). How do you find the green sheep? A critical review of the use of remotely sensed imagery to detect and count animals. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(4), 881-892. doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12973
Leblanc, G., Francis, C. M., Soffer, R., Kalacska, M., & De Gea, J. (2016). Spectral reflectance of polar bear and other large arctic mammal pelts; potential applications to remote sensing surveys. Remote Sensing, 8(4), 273. doi.org/10.3390/rs8040273
Lubin, D., Li, W., Dustan, P., Mazel, C. H., & Stamnes, K. (2001). Spectral signatures of coral reefs: features from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 75(1), 127-137. doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(00...
Pinto-Ledezma, J. N., Frantz, D., Townsend, P. A., Juzwik, J., & Cavender-Bares, J. (2023). Mapping oak wilt disease from space using land surface phenology. Remote Sensing of Environment, 298, 113794. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.11...
Richardson, A. D., Aubrecht, D. M., Basler, D., Hufkens, K., Muir, C. D., & Hanssen, L. (2021). Developmental changes in the reflectance spectra of temperate deciduous tree leaves and implications for thermal emissivity and leaf temperature. New Phytologist, 229(2), 791-804. doi.org/10.1111/nph.16909
Sapes, G., Lapadat, C., Schweiger, A. K., Juzwik, J., Montgomery, R., Gholizadeh, H., ... & Cavender-Bares, J. (2022). Canopy spectral reflectance detects oak wilt at the landscape scale using phylogenetic discrimination. Remote Sensing of Environment, 273, 112961. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.11...
Terletzky, P., Ramsey, R. D., & Neale, C. M. (2012). Spectral characteristics of domestic and wild mammals. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 49(4), 597-608. doi.org/10.2747/1548-1603.49....

[@MinuteEarth]

Remember you can support us with a one-time payment using SUPER THANKS or a recurring payment using PATREON. You can also help us by sharing our videos with your friends and family. In any of those cases, thank you so much

[@alphaapple1375]

At 1:15, 1:23: The Great Deku Tree, a tree character from the Legend of Zelda franchise, specifically the 2003 GameCube game: The Wind Waker, is featured in this video. At 2:16: Fishman, a fish-like character from the Legend of Zelda franchise also in The Wind Waker, is featured in this video. At 0:27, 1:33, 2:18, and 2:43: I love how there is the color of the rainbow🌈.

[@fabiosamuco2561]

Legend says Jotaro is still enjoying studying marine life👍🏿

[@Mina265]

I just realised that was Jotaro lol!

[@someshyv]

Hetsu’s spectral graph was the dueling peaks

[@TKlavier]

LOL was about to comment that too. *woo cha cha cha cha cha~ woo cha cha cha cha cha~ woo cha cha cha cha cha~ CHA CHA~

[@Dr.J42]

I used paper and pencil to figure out the two shrines there

[@lisaodell6039]

I like how Hestu's spectral fingerprint is a sillouette of dueling peaks.

[@matteocappugi4115]

Hey, someone noticed too! 😂

[@AlexCFaulkner]

Yes that was such a good reference

[@jeongbun2386]

SUCH A GOOD REFERENCE 🙏😭

[@anushravvatsa8719]

Loved that little JoJOo reffence in the Coral Reef segment

[@davidbluestein6984]

I want to do coral preservation work and I was reading about some of the new research they’re doing into it with the spectrum to determine their health! So cool to hear it brought up here

[@BenjaminJex]

It’s wild to me that satellites, even if it’s only in particular conditions, can even detect the spectroscopy of animals!

[@i_barely_hee-know_her]

2:14 Is that Loss-Bot?

[@screwaccountnames]

oh no

[@BeconIsYeck]

IT IS OMG

[@brambl3014]

Love that Jotaro as marine biologist reference

[@test889988]

Love the twin peaks finger print.

[@Non-binaryCup]

Also the dueling peaks form Zelda in Hestus fingerprint

[@babilon6097]

Raise your finger if you think this video is spectracular.

[@U.K.N]

[ raises finger ]

[@fried9217]

[ raises finger ]@@U.K.N

[@nasreensumaiya7183]

[ raises finger]

[@U.K.N]

@@fried9217 what

[@thehorsesnamewasfriday8695]

you will start coughing in 5 days

[@quackerzdb]

I like that Hestu's spectrum was Dueling Peaks

[@cerosis]

This is just wizardry

[@julius8631]

How do you comment 9 hours before the video is uploaded?

[@blackberrythefox117]

@@julius8631 Like the answer to most things like this patreon

[@cerosis]

By being a patreon member!!

[@ProjectNayuki]

At 1:47, the x-axis should be in μm (micrometres). Great video!

[@Adriatic478]

Yup, or else multiply the values by 1000, as at 3:32. Informative video, nevertheless!

[@davidtitanium22]

if it slightly differs between species but also slightly differs between individuals of the same species, the data must have a lot of noise, props to the ones making the data processing algorithm

[@cerosis]

Wasn't expecting to see Pengu

[@philipstuckey4922]

That's really cool! It's fascinating what we can learn from just light. Is there a trade-off between spatial resolution and spectral resolution? like, the more certain you are that there's a polar bear on this ice-sheet the less certain you are of where it is?

[@SgtSupaman]

I doubt it. Based on the description in the video of this approach (which should probably be taken with a grain of salt), it is all about the wavelengths of light coming from a specific point. Seems like it would be pretty easy to pinpoint the location in this way. Once an area is determined to be different, narrow the search until the specific position is found. Though I doubt a high level of certainty is really required when a creature isn't just going to stay in one spot.

[@lukaslmguitarcorner]

Love the Zelda Easter eggs!

[@LostnWings]

Love the loss.jpg on the computer there

[@Bombenalarm0]

2:44 Is that a Jo-Jo reference?

[@randomentirely1006]

Marine Biologist Jotaro is now canon in MinuteEarth

[@DylanUPSB]

Checking humans for a fever is probably like checking a projection our spectral fingerpront for abnormalities

[@attentionhorse7032]

Don't laser thermometers sort of work like that already?

[@downsidebrian]

I seem to get a lot of push back when I describe spectral analysis as "color, but more complicated." But that's really what it is. Color is simply how our eyes analyze the spectra of light coming off the objects around us. It's a limited analysis, restricted to red, green, blue, and yes/no inputs, but it's still extremely effective for identification and analysis. Get spectral information that is both more broad - including a wider range of wavelengths - and more precise - exact wavelengths, rather than just RGB - and you get spectral analysis.

[@Nagria2112]

but finger prints are not to decide the "species" of a human but their personal identity. its like each pine tree having its own spectrum

[@attentionhorse7032]

It's just meant as a light comparison for people to grasp the overall concept

[@EmilyS-gk3st]

I can appreciate the subtle Zelda references in the visuals of this video! For those who didn't spot it...I spotted two by the time it reached timestamp 3:17. See if you can find them, too!

[@bloodalchemy]

Hestu with a dueling peaks fingerprint and the wind waker map fish.

[@EmilyS-gk3st]

@@bloodalchemy Yep!

[@Joffjoff5000]

I love that loss in 2:25

[@Melchirobin]

Love seeing Hestu from Zelda. Did you just make up the the graph of the light reflected or is it from a similar tree?

[@norsehorse84]

It's a reference to a major landmark in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom called the Dueling Peaks, which is near where Hestu is found. static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda_gamepedia_en/images/6/6a/BotW_Dueling_Peaks.png/revision/latest?cb=20190809011354

[@aidenwallin3523]

Triforce molecule!

[@lucasx268]

I think the graph is supposed to be the dueling peaks

[@aidenwallin3523]

@@lucasx268 Ah, that makes sense!

[@zafirrasyiditaufik3774]

I have a question, they mentioned how taking the spectral fingerprint of oak trees could show potential issues related to the tree (1:45). has this ever been tried on animals too? and would it be possible - just maybe - for this to uncover potential medical problems on humans as well?

[@IGNOBLEVOIDPEEKER]

Interesting question, however, I think that perhaps, with other animals (non plants) it might be difficult. Since plants, at least here, trees, change appearance drastically from season, to weather, to nourishment, it might be harder with animals, since we don’t, for the most part, have our appearance drastically change based off drought or starvation.

[@hedgehog3180]

What those spectral fingerprints reveal are basically just changes in light absorption and that basically just means changes in color, we already use that on humans, it's just called looking at them. The reason why it's a breakthrough in biology is because it lets you quickly identify issues on large scales that before would have required sending a human to go there physically, it's basically epidemiology but for plants. We have similar methods for tracking diseases in human population such as testing sewage for diseases, or looking at population surveys, and satellites do also play an important role in especially vaccine programs that have to reach remote areas. But we don't really have anything to gain from this specific application in humans since satellites can't see human skin and as said doctors have always looked at human skin to make diagnoses.

[@dangerfly]

The dumbest idea in Captain America: Winter Soldier was that satellites can scan DNA. If only there was real technology that made a lot more sense to base fiction off of... cough spectrograph. Also, I look forward to the day when conservatives wear tin foil onesies to thwart government surveillance.

[@noobbones]

Yes and no. Humans and animals are infintely more complex than leaves and the spectral fingerprint can rely on 2 basic properties of leaves while using only one light filter. What they are referring to in this part of the video is the "Normalized difference vegetation index". Leaves absorb most of the visible light with Chlorophyll but reflect a huge amount of near infrared light with their structure. This Spectrum creates the "red edge". Also in NIR they basically are like floodlights next to normal soil. That is why the effect is so pronounced, easy to read and differentiate and used worldwide since the first satellites can take pictures. When leaves turn red and yellow to our eyes its because they have less chlorophyll ergo do less photosynthesis. This mostly happens in autumn and must not refer to the actual healthiness. Dry or damaged leaves can look normal and be undetectable for our eyes thanks to normal amounts of Clorophyll but the structure can be damaged/disrupted which can be detected only by a camera filter as those leaves reflect less NIR light. The structural damage causes the photosynthesis to be disrupted or at least be less effective. So the tree in question must be unhealthy. Using only a single camera filter for humans would basically amount to something like a heat-sensor to check body temperature

[@Yorick257]

We sort of have it already. Smartwaches that monitor the heartbeat and blood pressure, do so using similar techniques. We can also analyse the air a human exhales (kind of like alcohol testers) to detect potential health problems.

[@LENZ5369]

Is the difference between different species of tree; significantly more different than say the difference between individuals of the same species that are experiencing very different external factors (eg. sunlight/water/soil type/nutrients/etc)? My hunch is that you would still need a boots on the ground survey to determine the initial state of the area, and then you could use this method to track changes -potentially adding more accuracy and context to how aerial surveys are done now.

[@SgtSupaman]

This definitely sounds like something where initial identification has to be done beforehand with more traditional methods. To use their own example, fingerprints can't identify a person unless that person is already in the system and connected to that set of fingerprints. This method is likely only meant to simplify monitoring.

[@mikaeljohansson291]

I suggested something just like this to a mechanical engineer about 15 years ago and was told it was absolutely stupid it would need a telescope satellite 10-100 times the size of the Earth itself, according to him.

[@BN-qo5zc]

Just on the intro, it's actually an unproven assertion that fingerprints are unique to a person. See for example the 2019 article from the Smithsonian.

[@SgtSupaman]

This was my thought at the start of the video as well. I guess it works just well enough to differentiate between people that even science-based channels don't care to clarify. It's right there with the old "every snowflake is different" myth.

[@Skywolve1998]

The Hestu inclusion having a bunch of little Zelda references mixed in was very cute.

[@sarahjberman]

Soo interesting! 🌎

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

Does it ever happen that, for example and using the oak tree mentioned in the vid, a diseased or dehydrated oak's spectral fingerprint happens to match the healthy fingerprint of a different type of tree?

[@DharmaDerelict]

Fascinating! So clever! I’m curious what the human spectral fingerprint looks like. How does it compare and contrast to other similar and non-similar organisms? Can’t find too much about it with google.

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

this is truly the most science of all time

[@mhkhusyairi]

Thanks!

[@neglectoid]

1:11 hetsu and the triforce. that made me smile.

[@marcomonti5758]

Very interesting!

[@rufioh]

Could the spectral fingerprint be used to identify an area with an unknown species of tree?

[@rajukoley9249]

Yes but other than its a unknown species almost nothing could be determined.

[@Michaelonyoutub]

I am not an expert but it might be hard to definitively conclude something is a different species just from the spectral fingerprint, rather than a weird potentially diseased form of an already known tree. But if there is enough significantly unique aspects of the spectral fingerprint and you had a good list of all other trees and how they generally vary which you can compare too, then maybe it might be possible.

[@user-sr7wp5cr7f]

1:12 Pokémon types 3:05 Swellow There are other human Characters too, but i don't know them

[@ItsMeMia1138]

so would two pine trees have the same exact print or would it differ from one another?

[@Rallarberg]

Thank you, astrophysics and space exploration! :)

[@Michaelonyoutub]

Yeah earth observation satellite monitoring the health of trees, crops, and other plants and ecosystems, is one of the greatest practical applications of space technologies. Likely has saved tens of millions of lives with how it has helped agricultural industries alone.

[@jimday666]

Wow this is good!

[@lesussie2237]

Could this also apply to microbes that are spread in wide areas like algae blooms or scanning foods for spoliage?

[@necromanticer169]

Wouldn't a specific spectral fingerprint vary over time? And between individuals with different size, shape, and coloration? Is this useful outside of broad, reductive studies?

[@drspangle13]

Yeah, wouldn't it vary a lot with the place on the organism you're taking the fingerprint? Like, the bark and leaves of an oak would have different spectral fingerprints, surely?

[@attentionhorse7032]

I think all components are taken into account and all add up to the specific fingerprint

[@bartmannn6717]

Yes, it varies a lot. You have to establish baselines for a lot of factors, like different angles of sunlight, different atmospheric conditions etc. and subtract it from your measurements, for example. But the first and most important step to consider is the desired resolution for the object you want to study. If the resolution is too high, you get exactly this heterogeneity that makes your life hard at classifying. Like mentioned, bark, branches, leaves, shadows, all these details overcomplicate things. Solution: take a step back und use a lower resolution (like satellite imagery instead of drones). Looking at a tree as a uniform blob with its spectral mixture lets you classify it way easier than "counting branches".

[@TheZelluloid]

But how are the reflectance spectra measured? Just from the satelite image? Would you measure the spectra of a cat with a ccd kamera then or would you put her into a integrating sphere?

[@mardukevii9180]

That’s so amazing I didn’t know that

[@guydht1]

What about human spectral fingerprints? Can it be used in medicine to discover diseases? Genetic correlation? Any study on that front?

[@PengocOkhandal-mv3zu]

2:45 Jotaro finding dolphin be like :

[@thomaswilis4682]

I didn't know that this technique existed. Very cool. It does have rac ist implications if applied to humans though (different species interact with light in different ways?). still interesting for trees

[@xcosmoo2119]

the jotaro reference at 2:43

[@Yorick257]

We can also detect water pollution this way (in the oceans, rivers, or sewers)!

[@namduong8437]

I wonder if we can apply this knowledge to detect extraterrestrial life if they exist

[@vaibhav1933]

Will humans have unique spectral fingerprints as well? Could we then tell sick humans apart from healthy humans? Could we conduct studies on spectral fingerprints of attractive people vs the average folk?

[@attentionhorse7032]

I'd say the eye is a better teller of attractiveness haha, maybe for detecting some diseases it'd be better than eyesight alone

[@Shr3dward]

2:31 the robot on the top left, that's f**king loss

[@timzwicker]

Hestu's spectral fingerprint is Dueling Peaks: instant 👍

[@goteer10]

so many references in this video

[@vklmao8677]

I guess this is how they search for the probability of finding a new species, just check the spectrum of satellite photo anomalies

[@Sivah_Akash]

1:18 lol cute Baobab (I think).

[@somniad]

ah yeah that's a good point you can tell what something is by looking at it jokes aside though, it's neat that you can throw away this much info and still get a fingerprint

[@cyprus_]

i love the little hetsu reference :3

[@I4get42]

Very cool! Here is the way I imagine this experiment going: Scientist: Hey Robot, I'm going to give you super eyes that can see all of the EM spectrum we call light. Robot: Cool! Scientist: Robot, here is a picture of a tree from the top. What color is it? Robot:Ooh, Good question! That is Super-Green#5 Scientist: Good name! Here is a zoomed-out picture of the area. Do you see any more Super-Green#5? Robot: Yep! Here, Here, Here, and all over Here. Scientist: Hey other humans! Please go check there for this kind of tree. Robot, we're going to hang out while they do that. Do you want to play a game? Other Humans: The same kind of tree was in all those places. Great job Robot and Scientist! Scientist: Hey Robot, wanna find more species? Robot: As long as the members of a species are the same color, or average color across their body, I'm on it 😀. But if there is a lot of color variation within a species, or you can't get me a good picture, you're gonna need a different robot.

[@Hyper_TheOne]

I never expected a Jojo reference in a MinuteEarth video

[@juliansahne3944]

That's so cool

[@svmchop]

Isn't this the similar method astro-physicists are using to find extra-terrestrial life?

[@rom26ik]

Kinda, scientists check how light refracts through the atmospheres of exo planets and based on that they can assume what gases are in the atmosphere

[@GameCyborgCh]

Hestu's spectral signature is just dueling peaks?

[@jer103]

What is the Spectral Fingerprint measured with?

[@bentoney9682]

But wouldn't different colors version of same species show up as very different species even compared to 2 different species that are the same color?

[@attentionhorse7032]

Since this method focuses on the spectral fingerprint outside the visible spectrum, maybe a color difference only changes the results minimally, if at all

[@thanhavictus]

Im amazed theres enough signal to noise for this to even be possible

[@icewink7100]

I feel like it’s not really comparable to fingerprints if they are specific to a species as a whole, not unique to an individual plant.

[@RandomGeometryDashStuff]

do spectral fingerprints work on animals that are same species but have different color like cats, dogs, humans, cows

[@rajukoley9249]

Yes

[@evannewman5489]

Would this apply to species that life in the deep oceans or in caves that receive little to no sunlight?

[@attentionhorse7032]

Maybe not from a distance, since no light reaches that deep in the ocean

[@SirSpoofy]

Wait wait wait hold up. 2:43 Is that a female parent procreating Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure acknowledgement!!!

[@reddcube]

Trees are known to not getup and move. It kind of makes researching them easier.

[@shiba7651]

Reminds me of perople talking about auras or vibes

[@RJ_Ehlert]

Nice.

[@Dannyboi91]

2:43 Is that Jotaro? is that a JOJO Reference?!

[@DaHaiZhu]

I Identify my Spectral Fingerprint as a French Bulldog.

[@marceltelang7825]

So... every species has a slightly different average color (including the wavelengths we can't see)

[@felip3442]

This is like the aura of a living being

[@BullShitThat]

Not one mention of Astronomy while talking about spectroscopy?

[@austin206]

So in theory can we use it to find species

[@jaqque9633]

Colonel Sanders is alive and well, and performing important spectral analysis of plants. There is life after chicken.

[@Ice_Karma]

3:04 Grr, the lines radiating from the "GPS collar" on the bird are going the wrong direction! GPS is *_receive-only,_* there's no transmitting involved! 😡(Sorry. Pet peeve. _So many_ people seem to think that using GPS involves _transmitting to_ the satellites.)

[@MukeshSharma-xj8nh]

2:25 (The computer at the left) Is this loss?

[@andifoy]

WAS THAT HESTU?! I LOVE ZELDA/////

[@LindySk8er]

Wow. So, what do you do on a cloudy day?

[@jsnam8139]

2:45 wait a sec.... that Jotaro?

[@radharani1719]

Pls make videos on bears or crocodilians

[@kyesickhead7008]

I feel like this video should've been posted decades ago.... I don't know why.

[@edgebucketdraws3854]

hestu!

[@noobnaik]

Yahaha!

[@gritzafur]

Good :)

[@natividadabarca2631]

Don’t forget about DNA fingerprinting/DNA profiling

[@cerealexperiments8189]

So, tricorders are possible?

[@madcow3417]

2:22 A polar bear's spectral fingerprint: White. Just white.

[@reuuu8526]

1:13 hestu :)

[@fjaviermo]

Treemendous. Instant LIKE

[@ruo0106]

loss reference on the robot lol 2:16

[@auroraofclanborealis]

Does this mean we CAN scan for life signs?

[@evyats9127]

This spectral finger print isnt, in other words, the color of the object? Not sure i understood

[@rajukoley9249]

Kind of it also uses infrared and parts of the electromagnetic spectrum too.

[@evyats9127]

ohh right, didnt take it into account@@rajukoley9249