I've always wanted to know, do plants think? I just like to assume they do but I read this article about an experiment that a few Russian scientists did with cabbage. Here it is:
A row of about six cabbage plants were attached to a sensitive instrument that measured various electronic waves transmitted by the living plants. The device worked somewhat like an electroencephalograph attached to the human brain.
During the experiment, a man entered the room each day at a certain time to water and add nourishment to the soil in each of the pots in which the cabbages were growing. The signals were recorded. There was a reaction to this activity each day.
Then one day a new person entered the room carrying an ax. This man walked up to one of the cabbage plants and chopped it to pieces. The response on the recorders was immediate. There was a wild increase in electronic activity. It was clear that the other cabbage plants not only were aware of this terrible event, they expressed a strong response to what just happened.
From that time on, the mere entrance of the room by the man who had wielded the ax, caused the same kind of electronic reaction among the surviving cabbage plants.
The conclusion among the scientists conducting the study is that the cabbage plants not only are aware of their surroundings, they communicate with one another, and respond to events that affect them.
Oh man I am going to feel terrible every time I pick berries
haha wow! plant 1: oh man! I just grew another full seedling and am ready to plant it! plant 2: wow congratz! I watched you try to do that for days! *man enters room* plant 1:hey whatya doing to my berry? GET OFFA MY BERRY! *man eats berry* plant 1: this sucks -_-.
I doubt plants are aware of what is happening, as we would be aware of a similar happening. Plants don't have a nervous system nor do they have some kind of central controlling location. But I'm sure they did react under the influence of plant hormones, that may have been released by the damaged cabbage. It's actually the only way I can think of how this could work; volatile hormons released by the wounds, that triggers an activity when absorbed by other plants, who knows to what goal. You know, there are complex interactions between plants and animals that are based on such hormons or cues; like some plant in the rain forest, that can "call" ants for "help" when something is eating it; the saliva of the pest in the wound of the plant is what triggers the release of some cue sensed by ants living nearby, that then are led to the pest and eat it (plant/animal symbiosis). But this is a cascade of signals, and not a willed action; the plant is not thinking, "oh sh*t something is eating me!". So I would wait for further analysis and results before saying that plants may have intelligence.
I already heard of a similar experience once, I don't have any links and don't remember details, but it was like that: They had a plant and recorded it's activity like they did on your cabbages, and regularly someone would come and water it. Then one man comes in and burns a leaf of the plant. The plant reacts to that, and also shows different patterns everytime the man that burned it would enter and come near it. Different version of yours you see, but the basis is the same.
I have to agree with HahiHa. There is no way they can actually tell what is going on, and chemicals are a likely solution. Also, couldn't it be possible that human presence, and destroying the plant, effected the ECG?
Plants don't have brains so how is it possible to think?
Well...well *Eyes tear up* YOU DON'T HAVE A BRAIN, so NEH!
Although really, responding to stimuli is in no way unexpected, it's self concious that would be truly remarkable, and if that were true we would have witnessed it a LONG time ago.
I think the plant is like what Hahiha said, with the release of hormones that tells it that it sound be alarmed. But since they don't have speech or alot of movement how else will they communicate quickly?
row of about six cabbage plants were attached to a sensitive instrument that measured various electronic waves transmitted by the living plants. The device worked somewhat like an electroencephalograph attached to the human brain.
This is bogus...I can't believe you guys fell for it.
Thinking requires a brain / neurons, which is something that plants lack. If they lack these, how in the world are you going to measure Electromagnetic signals from them?? WTF?
Well ignoring rock leo, I did learn in school one time that trees purposely grow over other trees so that they don't get as much light and don't thrive.
Sentient cabbage huh? Seriously. That's just what science is for, thank you!!
Plants don't think, they simply react, as in the case of the Venus Flytrap; how could you explain that a plant could forcefully close itself on its unsuspecting prey while not having any sentience at all: chemical reactions. While they have no nervous system, the plant is capable of rapidly closing its leave in a concave fashion via a route of complex chemical reactions. Some theorize that upon sensing a minimal weight, an action potential is activated to galvanize the cell against the cell wall in the leaves. The process most likely involves cell swelling and thus the closing of the leaves. Doesn't this all sounds more like a machine than a brain to you?
It's all organised chemitry; nature is a machine when you think of it that way.
Yeah, I saw the advertising. Also looked up his original post on google, it's a verbatim copypasta from some guy's blog. If you guys want to keep some form of intelligent conversation going on here though feel free as I haven't seen any blaring reason to lock this (yet).
