Electrical experiments with plants that count and communicate | Greg Gage



Neuroscientist Greg Gage takes sophisticated equipment used to study the brain out of graduate-level labs and brings them to middle- and high-school classrooms (and, sometimes, to the TED stage.) Prepare to be amazed as he hooks up the Mimosa pudica, a plant whose leaves close when touched, and the Venus flytrap to an EKG to show us how plants use electrical signals to convey information, prompt movement and even count.

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28 Comments

  1. We have a belief here in Philippines that if u have a bad dream about the person u need to tell in on trees, now i understand why, maybe trees have consciousness too

  2. What about the Japanese speaking plant from the secret life of plants! That was awesome…this is a great continuation of that research! Feel a bit guilty as a vegetarian though lol

  3. The seven heavens, the earth, and all those in them glorify Him. There is not a single thing that does not glorify His praises—but you ˹simply˺ cannot comprehend their glorification. He is indeed Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving.
    (the holy Quran 17:44)

  4. What happened? Why was the telegraph plant not included? The telegraph plant is always moving. It has small probing leaves that make the plant understand whether it is raining or which way the wind is blowing so that the large leaves move accordingly. I love it when it rains because the plant takes the shape of an umbrella. It is the smartest plant on Earth that I know, and it is always moving.

  5. Interesting and nicely demonstrated, but not new.

    Some may be familiar with the work of Cleve Backster. He too observed communications among plants, although without the wires shown here. In his book "Primary Perception" he describes an experiment how one (monitored) plant picked up the stress, experienced by its plant neighbor nearby. Or the death of a living cell elsewhere, regardless of what type.

    It is encouraging to see, that science is slowly warming up to the idea, that plants express sensation. Perhaps this will teach that we should be more respectful to 'our' extended family.

    Many may have heard of the experiment where the living cell of a heart was placed for observation under a microscope. Like the heart it came from, it contracted and expanded and eventually died.

    Trying the same experiment with 2 heart cells from different donors, placed on slides, but not touching one another, revealed under the microscope the following:
    Their different 'beats' began to synchronize in unison, and surprisingly, aware in one another's proximity, they lived nearly 50% longer, than they would alone.

    Are we paying proper respect to the World we live in?

  6. Muslim alway believe plants can communicate with others. They can speak with their own languages and always praise to The Al Mighty God.

    —–
    Dalam Alquran Surah Al Isra ayat 44, Allah SWT berfirman yang artinya:

    “Langit yang tujuh, bumi dan semua yang ada di dalamnya bertasbih kepada Allah. Dan tak ada suatupun melainkan bertasbih dengan memuji-Nya, tetapi kamu sekalian tidak mengerti tasbih mereka. Sesungguhnya Dia adalah Maha Penyantun lagi Maha Pengampun.”

  7. To me it looks like the plant is just trying to get out of the way. Like maybe its a creeper type spreading plant and it tries to stop as much damage from wandering animals as possible so it creeps a bit more on average. Or maybe its just to look gross.

  8. If just peoples could re-count how many grasses i've stepped on in my whole life, they would take a ship and live in the middle of the sea

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