Natures wonders: Plant 'intelligence' (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, June 03, 2015, 20:10 (3459 days ago) @ David Turell

Two new books describe how plants communicate, respond to change, and have a type of intelligence somewhat different than we have:-http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630230.300-intelligent-life-why-dont-we-consider-plants-to-be-smart.html#.VWxQaN-"Now microelectronics and the analysis of volatile compounds at picogram concentrations are revealing the complexities of plant behaviour as never before. So much so that Mancuso can write: "Plant lives unfold in another dimension of time" and that they are "considerably less passive than they appear, and are in fact wily protagonists in the drama of their own lives".-"Plants, say the authors, are highly responsive, attuned to gravity, grains of sand, sunlight, starlight, the footfalls of tiny insects and to slow rhythms outside our range. They are subtle, aware, strategic beings whose lives involve an environmental sensitivity very distant from the simple flower and seed factories of popular imagination.-"Brilliant Green and Plant Sensing and Communication are timely, highly accessible summaries of fast-developing fields. The former is a popular account (co-written with a science journalist), the latter a more technical take. Both combine a passion for plants and a desire to illustrate their largely unsung complexities with an appreciation of the burden of proof needed to persuade us of a world that contains chlorophyllic sentience."