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QUESTION New research on plant intelligence may forever change how you think about plants | Public Radio International

Plants seem to have some sense of intelligence? Quotes from the link

"And we assume you need ears to hear. But researchers, says Pollan, have played a recording of a caterpillar munching on a leaf to plants — and the plants react. They begin to secrete defensive chemicals — even though the plant isn't really threatened, Pollan says. "It is somehow hearing what is, to it, a terrifying sound of a caterpillar munching on its leaves."

Pollan says plants have all the same senses as humans, and then some. In addition to hearing, taste, for example, they can sense gravity, the presence of water, or even feel that an obstruction is in the way of its roots, before coming into contact with it. Plant roots will shift direction, he says, to avoid obstacles."

Puts a different spin on being a vegetarian!

ripcurldane 7 Jan 7
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7 comments

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Still gonna eat them. Animals, too. And if things get bad enough in the Zompocalypse or the Clownpocalypse, I'll eat you, too.

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Personally, I wouldn't say a caterpillar has intelligence but I'm not a biologist. I won't lose any sleep over eating veggies. I can say that as a kid I used to play with mimosas and what they describe is certainly true.

gearl Level 8 Jan 8, 2018
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Fascinating article that without brains plants are amazing.

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Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence
by Stefano Mancuso

Heard about this idea like 3 years ago.

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When my tomatoes can move out of the way of my grabbing hands then I will consider not eating them. Until such time sun ripened tomatoes are the very taste of sunshine and I will not forgo that for anyone or anything.

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That is interesting. My kids wanted to know if plants pooped oddly enough they do.

3

I have touched on articles talking about the intelligence or forests. What will we eat now? I am still working on being able to photosynthesize.

I guess we'll eat pure chemicals. Or we could just get over the fact that we're eating intelligent life forms hehe.

@ripcurldane it is not much of a challenge but I don't think I will eat octopus. They seem way too smart

@btroje and quite slimy, I used to catch them when I did a bit of fishing in my younger years

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