There was a bunch of popular posts about it on reddit yesterday. I would bet that is probably the most direct source of this post. Perhaps the podcast inspired the original reddit posters.

That's kind of even cooler, the idea that a 4 minute bit Dickerson did about tree growth patterns could spread so virulently.

https://twitter.com/RobGMacfarlane/status/895162795733524481 seems to be a popular source.

Indirect source in my case: http://kottke.org/17/08/the-shyness-of-trees

I heard it on the Gabfest before seeing it here as well.

or Slate politics podcast reads Hacker News via the future, steals their thunder

Apropos of what?

Nothing? It's just interesting to think about.