[PCA] Fwd: The Intelligent Plant, Michael Pollan, The New Yorker

De Angelis, Patricia patricia_deangelis at fws.gov
Thu Jun 19 06:53:15 CDT 2014


Pardon me if this went over the list ages ago when I wasn't looking. This
article provides an interesting and fun overview of our beliefs about plant
sentience. I particularly like the 2006 observation of plant physiologists
who say:  "Our 'fetishization' of neurons, as well as our tendency to
equate behavior with mobility, keeps us from appreciating what plants can
do." There's also a reference to sagebrush - perhaps this information could
help us with restoration efforts?! Enjoy!
-Patricia


THE INTELLIGENT PLANTScientists debate a new way of understanding
flora.BY MICHAEL
POLLAN
<http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/michael_pollan/search?contributorName=michael%20pollan>DECEMBER
23, 2013










In 1973, a book claiming that plants were sentient beings that feel
emotions, prefer classical music to rock and roll, and can respond to the
unspoken thoughts of humans hundreds of miles away landed on the New York
*Times* best-seller list for nonfiction. “The Secret Life of Plants,” by
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, presented a beguiling mashup of
legitimate plant science, quack experiments, and mystical nature worship
that captured the public imagination at a time when New Age thinking was
seeping into the mainstream.

Full article:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/23/131223fa_
fact_pollan?currentPage=all
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