Stefano Mancuso: Plants have the same senses as us… and fifteen more!
“They do not have eyes and ears like we do, but they perceive all the gradations of light and sound vibrations, their smell and taste are very sensitive, they perceive chemical molecules, it is their mode of communication, each smell is a message, and they have touch , it is a matter of seeing in fast motion how climbing plants feel ... "
Stefano Mancuso participated in the Future Congress, held in Chile from the 9 to the 14 of January of 2017, with the theme "Living world and cognitive sciences", an attractive presentation where the Doctor of Sciences elaborated on his theories regarding the surprising qualities of the plants that have led him to claim that he has intelligence, coining the term "plant neurobiology".
Mancuso is founder and director of the International Laboratory of Neurobiology of the plants of the University of Florence and has dedicated his life to the research of plants and their abilities to solve problems.
"When any of us is threatened, and I mean any organism of the animal kingdom, we feel fear and we escape, because instinctively we try to avoid problems, well, plants cannot do it, they cannot flee, so they are forced to confront these problems ... plants are used to solving problems"Says the scientist.
And how do they solve them, individually or collectively?
“Firstly, the individual corresponds to the reality of the animal kingdom, because the structure we have is different from that of vegetables, we have a brain, which is the central organ, and then a heart, stomach, arms, etc. That is why we are individuals, which means indivisible, we are not the same without a part. Plants can be divisible, so the concept of individual does not exist in your reality. Everything is collective in plants and information feedback, because the plant that is being attacked by insects, for example, communicates its status to the other plants, sends danger messages by producing certain molecules that spread for kilometers and warn that there is an attack in progress. There is collective information and therefore, a resolution of problems in the same way”.
Mancuso's observation about the ability of plants to solve problems is the argument that sustains that plants have intelligence. "If intelligence is the ability to solve problems, plants are able to respond appropriately to external and internal stimuli, ie they are aware of what they are and what surrounds them," the scientist says to this question.
Regarding the senses, the neurobiologist maintains that plants feel more than the animal kingdom:
"And it's not my opinion or personal perception, it's scientific evidence"Says the researcher and adds that"we know that they perceive electrical changes, the chemical gradient and magnetic field ... the presence of pathogens. Plants have our five senses and fifteen more. They do not have eyes and ears like us, but they perceive all gradations of light and sound vibrations, their smell and taste are very sensitive, they perceive chemical molecules, it is their mode of communication, each smell is a message, and they have tact, it's a matter of seeing in a fast camera how they feel the climbing plants…", exemplified.
Mancuso was already in Chile the 2016 and spoke for the first time of the intelligence and emotion that plants have, causing great impact on citizenship.
Source: Blueberrieschile.cl - Blueberriesconsulting.com
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