Can Plants “Think” Even Without a Brain?

In terms of mass, there are more plants than animals or other living creatures on earth. In fact, the mass of plants is 1,000 times larger than the mass of all the animals in the planet.

Now, plants may not have feet and could not move around yet they have developed many ways to “evade” their enemies or “bring” their seeds across far areas by enticing living creatures such as birds. They have also learned to adapt to the environment by growing very long roots so they can find water sources. Many plants have also learned to attract pollinators by emitting certain scents or by using various methods.

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According to AsapSCIENCE, plants detect changes in the chemical compositions of the atmosphere which signals the seasons or specific time frames for them to undergo changes, including losing their leaves in autumn or bearing fruits (and ripening at around the same time!).

Scientists have also discovered what they candidly call as the “wood wide web” wherein, using their roots, plants communicate and exchange stuff such as water and nutrients. They also help out each other in times of need.

So, if plants can do all these things and so much more, can they think? Is the premise of “thinking” networks of plants true in the same way it was in mythical world Pandora in the movie, Avatar?

The answer just might be surprising yet probably something that we knew all along. Yes, plants do not have brains – after all, how would they survive if they had brains but are eaten because they can’t move? However, plants can solve problems and communicate with one another. Scientists even noticed that some of them have a “memory” about certain things done in experiments.

Therefore, we can conclude that plants do think! Of course, their “thinking” process is not the same as creatures with brains yet they do think!

You can watch in the video by AsapSCIENCE below for a more detailed explanation:

Source: AsapSCIENCE, Popular Science

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