Of course it’s my own reflex but maybe that’s crazy I think now. I notice that I do have a few trees that I regularly chat with. Trees are also my favorite activity on the road in the car. I think I’ll just exchange ideas.
But Monica Gagliano researched it. She is an Adjunct Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the Biological Intelligence Lab (BI), at Southern Cross University, and Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Western Australia & a Research Affiliate at the Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney. So a mouth full.
This Mimosa Pudica is one of the most sensitive plants that react quickly when touched. Monica went on to experiment and dropped them about 60 times in a row via a kind of ‘free fall’ machine. But she always made sure the landing was super soft. Over time, the plants realized they were safe. They stopped responding.
The Cognitive Knowledge of Plants is a totally new and exciting area of research aimed at experimentally testing the cognitive abilities of plants, including perception, learning processes, memory and consciousness. This research could have many implications for the way we perceive plants, because we prefer to draw a line between animals and plants.
You can read more about it in her book or take a look at her website.
