[VerdantGreen]

this has a lot of implications for growers - interesting article

we could really do with a 'botany' section but until then this is probably the best place for it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10598926

Plants are able to "remember" and "react" to information contained in light, according to researchers.

Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems.

These "electro-chemical signals" are carried by cells that act as "nerves" of the plants

In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond.

And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark.

This showed, they said, that the plant "remembered" the information encoded in light.....

EDIT 25/11 - here is a link to the actual paper that the bbc is reporting - many thanks to spurr
(html) https://www.plantcell.org/cgi/content/full/22/7/2201
(pdf) https://www.plantcell.org/cgi/reprint/22/7/2201.pdf

[Mr. Greengenes]

Wow. Talk about thinking in pictures....

Good read cheers..

[skunkfunk]

Amazing information....good find and thanks for sharing.

[ibjamming]

It's a HUGE stretch to call it "thinking and remembering".

[greentrich]

Originally Posted by ibjamming

It's a HUGE stretch to call it "thinking and remembering".

My thoughts exactly. Seems more like conditioning...Sammy Jenkis (if anyone has seen Memento) style.

It is a good read though VG...thanks for posting.
To me though, it seems these scientists are making more out of something than need be. The first part they talk about showing light on one leaf has direct results not only on that leaf, but the whole plant. Ok, isn't this basic biology? Cell communication? Doesn't every living thing on this planet have cells that communicate with each other?

Then in the "Thinking Plants" sections, they talk about

plants' responses changed depending on the colour of the light that was being shone on them.

. Maybe I'm missing something. Isn't this why I change from a blue MH to a red HPS? To provoke a particular response?

I think the most interesting thing is the immunity after having light, and the lack of before having light. But I do not think this denotes a "Thinking" organism over a conditioned, predetermined response that can be attributed to evolution and DNA.

IMO...thinking means a consciousness, and awareness of self and critical decision making, among other characteristics that I've never seen a plant posses. I don't see any plant doing this.

I could be wrong. This is a very interesting hypothesis and hopefully it will be discussed more here...constructively, as I am curious about it and other thoughts on this.

My .2

[Japanfreakier]

Kind of like saying that a rock that stays warms remembers the day's sun.

[hoosierdaddy]

Auxins and their triggers are also very intriguing. To me these sorts of hormonal actions are more akin to "thinking". Amazing to me how the plant can sense the top of one branch being just an inch higher than the other, and causing the higher one to take the lead, where as if they were simply caused to be the same height they would share growth pattern. Clearly demonstrating that the plant can sense gravity and level.

Good read, VG.

[darwinsbulldog]

Originally Posted by hoosierdaddy

Auxins and their triggers are also very intriguing. To me these sorts of hormonal actions are more akin to "thinking". Amazing to me how the plant can sense the top of one branch being just an inch higher than the other, and causing the higher one to take the lead, where as if they were simply caused to be the same height they would share growth pattern. Clearly demonstrating that the plant can sense gravity and level.

Good read, VG.

that's it mate, evolution kicks as and selects for some seemingly "smart" organisms when they're just doing what they need to to survive better than those that couldn't/didn't evolve those capabilities. lol and of course they can sense gravity, how do you think seeds germed in soil know which way is up before they're in the light?

what would be interesting is growing plants in 0 gravity. they've done experiments with young mammals etc that are born on earth, and in space (no gravity). they did it with mice and dropped both mice that had been born on earth and those in space into containers of water (they hold their breath don't worry) the mice that were born on earth oriented themselves so they landed on the bottom of the container on their feet, those that were born in space had know idea which way was up or down and just kept twisting around and around. interesting stuff, so it showed that embryos learn about gravity in the womb before they're even born, so when they are they can move around properly. i wonder what would happen to plants in space compared to ones here, as well as if you took ones that were grown in space back to earth and let them keep growing. would this affect their growth? their fibre % and structuring? even if leaves still oriented themselves towards the light could the plant grow up properly?

but yeah re: "thinking and remembering", science articles and stories etc will often sensationalise stuff to get you to read it even if it's not literally true, and most of the time those stories in the paper or mags aren't written by scientists. lol you can't think or remember without an advanced nervous system (not all animals can think and remember, lol gold fish can!) but yeah as hoosier says it's definitely akin to it. thanks for posting! very interesting stuff

[Honkytonk]

Originally Posted by VerdantGreen

Plants 'can think and remember'

Dude, that's scary, since most stoners can't. ;p

Sorry, couldn't resist.