Creative Habits Podcast

Are Plants Alive?

Listen Later

Introduction (0:00 - 2:00)


  • Hello and welcome to today's podcast episode where we'll be discussing the theory that plants are living conscious being communicating with each other in languages, we have yet to understand.
  • For many years, plants have been viewed as passive organisms that merely respond to their environment without any intention or consciousness. However, recent research suggests that plants may be far more complex than we previously thought.
  • In this episode, we'll be exploring the fascinating theories that suggest that plants are living conscious beings that communicate with each other in ways that we have yet to fully understand.

      • Theories of plant consciousness (2:00 - 12:00)

        Plants move in a deliberate way; they don't merely move randomly. Plants move to gather important information about their surroundings, react appropriately, and send this information to neighboring plants in an understandable way.


        • Over the past few decades, scientists and researchers have been exploring the possibility that plants are conscious beings.
        • Some theories suggest that plants possess a form of intelligence that allows them to solve problems and make decisions.
        • Other theories propose that plants have a sense of self and are aware of their surroundings. Like the Venus fly trap and many other carnivorous plants.. Some plants aren’t eaten by bugs—they eat the bugs themselves! Nearly 700 species of these carnivorous plants live throughout the world.


          • Some researchers have even suggested that plants may have emotions and experience sensations such as pain and pleasure: 


            • While scientists are not in complete agreement on whether plants feel pain, the simple answer to the question is no. As explained by plant biologist Dr. Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh, all living organisms perceive and respond to painful touch, but plants do not perceive or “feel” pain the same way that animals do because they lack a nervous system and brain.


            Communication among plants (12:00 - 22:00)

            • Another fascinating theory is that plants communicate with each other in ways that we have yet to fully understand.
            • Plants use chemical signals, such as pheromones and hormones, to communicate with each other and with other organisms.
            • These chemical signals can convey information about the presence of predators, the availability of resources, and other important factors.
            • Trees share water and nutrients through the networks and also use them to communicate. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behavior when they receive these messages.” Scientists call these mycorrhizal networks.

              • Have you ever wondered if there’s any truth to the theory that playing music for plants helps them grow? How do they “hear?” 

               


              While there have been studies conducted that suggest that plants do indeed respond well to music, the truth of the matter is still up in the air. That being said, the evidence that supports the idea is very compelling! 


              The best scientific theory as to how music helps plants grow is through how the vibration of the sound waves affects the plant. Plants transport nutrients, proteins and organelles in their fluids (cytoplasm) through a process called cytoplasmic streaming. The vibration of certain types of music and sound may help stimulate this process – in nature, the plants may grow advantageously around bird song or areas with strong breezes. 


              ...more
              View all episodesView all episodes
              Download on the App Store
              Creative Habits PodcastBy Phil & Indigo
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5
              • 5

              5

              7 ratings