A researcher at the University of Murcia is on a mission. According to New Scientist, he's attempting to build a solid scientific framework for understanding plant neurobiology with the hope of one day finding a firm answer to a deep out-there question: are plants conscious?
It's controversial because science doesn't really have a way of defining consciousness. One of Calvo's experiments raises some interesting points.
Plants are thought to be intelligent. They're talking. They start reacting. The people play tricks. All of these can be explained as passive reactions rather than real decisions.
Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh is a professor of plant science at the University of Washington. We don't know if they are awake.
Calvo and others have developed a litmus test to measure if there is a sense of agency in plant behavior. They want to know if the behavior is flexible and proactive, if it is anticipatory, and if it is goal oriented.
Calvo thinks he might have found an instance where a plant fits these qualifications: beans, baby.
beans seem to be looking for a good spot when they climb They reach out in broad, scanning motions as they "decide" where to settle, and when they do they exhibit a spike in internal electrical signals.
Calvo told the magazine that it might indicate that the pole is there, but that his team must be careful not to assume too much.
Calvo has a lot of doubters, but researchers across fields have been trying to understand, prove, and disprove consciousness in many plants, animals, and machines. As plant intelligence continues to surprise and delight, perhaps he is onto something after all.
There are new experiments that suggest plant consciousness.
Scientists have invented a way to grow plants in complete darkness.
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