Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence

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The smell of freshly cut grass ‘comes from the chemicals released by the wounded plant to warn nearby grasses to mobilise their defences’. Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images David George Haskell is a biologist and award-winning author. His most recent book is Sounds Wild and Broken (Viking, 2022). Nonfiction Big Bad Wolves Remarkable.... Calvo has a wonderfully infectious enthusiasm for his subject that makes this book, for all its complex science, a joy to read. He challenges us to set aside our ‘zoocentric’ perspective and to change our view of plants radically: from mechanisms akin to robots to complex organisms with a range of behaviours, responding to and anticipating their environments. In doing so, he has written a genuinely mind-expanding book." - PD Smith, The Guardian I appreciate this author's enthusiasm for studying the many interesting behaviors of plants, but unfortunately, this book wasn't written very well. It's a strange mix of personal anecdotes that are only tangentially related to the main topics, lengthy jokes that fall flat (they really aren't funny at all), and overly technical descriptions that are difficult for laypeople to understand.

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo, Natalie Lawrence | Waterstones Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo, Natalie Lawrence | Waterstones

In Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo, a leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, offers an entirely new perspective on plants’ worlds, showing for the first time how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence. Plants learn from experience: wild strawberries can be taught to link light intensity with nutrient levels in the soil, and flowers can time pollen production to pollinator visits. Plants have social intelligence, releasing chemicals from their roots and leaves to speak to and identify one another. They make decisions about where to invest their growth, judging risk based on the resources available. Their individual preferences vary, too—plants have personalities. Of course, these are revolutionary ideas and, as Calvo admits, contested by many scientists who study the physiology of plants. But he guides us patiently through the latest research and builds a compelling case that, unlikely as it may seem, deserves to be taken seriously.To summarise my thoughts, the book was too short of solid evidence to give it a high rating. While the author admitted to the shortfalls in his work, it might have been better if he had titled the book differently. Perhaps it could be “Planta Sapiens – Do plants have hidden intelligence that we haven’t uncovered? Planta Sapiens: noua știință a inteligenței plantelor prezintă o introducere în lumea complexă și fascinantă a plantelor și a modului în care acestea interactionează cu mediul înconjurător. Paco Calvo și Natalie Lawrence ne arată cum plantele au dezvoltat strategii ingenioase pentru a supraviețui și pentru a se reproduce, inclusiv prin comunicarea cu alte plante, animale și chiar prin influențarea comportamentului uman. De asemenea, autorii abordează chestiuni controversate, cum ar fi posibila conștiință a plantelor și modul în care acestea au influențat evoluția omenirii. Capitoul oferă o privire de ansamblu asupra cercetărilor recente care au dus la o înțelegere mai profundă a lumii plantelor și a rolului lor în lumea noastră.

Planta Sapiens - Il Saggiatore Planta Sapiens - Il Saggiatore

Planta sapiens ofrece una perspectiva creativa y audaz sobre la biología vegetal y la ciencia cognitiva. Partiendo de experimentos realizados con las tecnologías más avanzadas, este ensayo apasionante nos invita a pensar el mundo natural de una manera radicalmente distinta. Aunque existen ya libros accesibles sobre estos temas (tales como “What a Plant Knows”, de Daniel Chamovitz y “Brilliant Green”, de Stefano Mancuso y Alessandra Viola), “Planta Sapiens” presenta quizá la introducción de mayor alcance y profundidad filosófica. A lo largo de nueve capítulos, divididos en tres partes, el autor revisa investigación multidisciplinar que revela un rango de habilidades vegetales previamente consideradas el dominio privilegiado de los animales (en la ciencia ortodoxa, al menos). Las plantas son sensibles a los mismos anestésicos que nos hacen caer dormidos y producen los suyos propios cuando se les daña. Los girasoles jóvenes no sólo reaccionan a la dirección del sol, sino que anticipan su movimiento. Las plantas parecen generar gran parte de su conducta, desde el aprendizaje a la memoria y más, en parte a través de sistemas de señalización eléctrica que implican “potenciales de acción” (los mismos impulsos eléctricos que transportan señales en nuestros cuerpos). Esta es sólo una pequeña muestra de los descubrimientos que se revisan en el libro.But as fascinating as these titbits are, you have to cut through reams of deadwood about the author’s career to reach them. It’s a shame. This subject deserves writing that fills the reader with a sense of wonder, encouraging us to think of ourselves as part of an intricate, intelligent biosphere that encompasses flora and fauna alike. This is the third book I have read by the cluster of academics working on plant intelligence systems: it would be fair to say I hated them both, so saying this is much better is not a huge endorsement, but, well I did. It also clarified for me why - despite my strong desire for evidence that plants have intelligence systems - I think this approach is not going to be what convinces me. A fascinating description of how plants interact with the environment in myriad ways [...] This book will make people think and help them to become more aware that plants have abilities that they may not know about. And, perhaps most significant, that it is important to truly see everything around us" Calvo describes more sophisticated examples of plant behaviour; how some plants seem to “remember” previous droughts, for example, conserving water more effectively than plants that have never encountered long dry spells. Or how some behave differently when competing for resources against other species, rather than their own kind. Planta Sapiens offers an exciting and detailed look into research on plant intelligence and sets the standard for future studies in this important and forward-looking area"