Bean plants are sentient beings (and can make decisions)

    A particular species of bean might make decisions about its actions: plants might have a conscience

    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    Are plants sentient beings? According to a recent study conducted at the University of Murcia (Spain) in collaboration with the Rotman Institute of Philosophy in London (Canada), a particular species of bean could even make decisions about its actions, which would therefore not be a mere reflection of the instinct.





    The question on the ability of plants to think and even feeling feelings has been debated for some time: the most “traditionalist” botanists strongly contest any notion of sentient vegetation. Although plants clearly perceive and react to their environment - they argue - this does not mean that they possess complex mental faculties.

    Not of the same opinion Paco Calvo of the University of Murcia (for years engaged on the subject) who, intrigued by the climbing ability of a particular type of bean (scientific name: Phaseolus vulgaris L.), tried to understand if the plant really perceives the structures where it clings.

    So he designed an experiment to settle the question: Does Phaseolus vulgaris L deliberately target the cane, or does it just stumble upon such structures as they grow and then transform them to its own advantage? In other words, does the plant understand in advance what to do or does it happen that "we are" and nature then guides it in transformations useful for its survival?

    Researchers led by the Spanish botanist then used one time-lapse photography to document the behavior of 20 potted bean plants, some grown near a support post and others without.

    Bean plants are sentient beings (and can make decisions)

    ©Scientific Reports

    Through this video they analyzed the dynamics of sprout growth, discovering that their approach was more controlled and predictable when there was a stake. The differences found in the behaviors of the plants have been compared to those of a blindfolded person in a room containing an obstacle that can only hear what is being said and one who is left free to stumble.

    “Let's see the signs of complex behavior, the only difference is that these are not based on neurons like in humans - Calvo explains to The Guardian - This is not just adaptive behavior, it is a anticipatory behavior, goal-oriented and flexible "-



    An incredible result which, if confirmed also by more in-depth studies, could open completely different scenarios on botany and perhaps on the origin of life.

    Calvo himself, promoter and creator of the experiment and convinced of the capacity of plants hitherto considered absent, recognizes however that this experiment alone does not demonstrate intent, much less conscience.

    On the other hand, all biological organisms require means to cope with uncertainty and adapt their behavior in order to pass on their genes, but the "calendar" on which they operate makes everything particularly imperative for plants.

    "They do things so slowly that they can't afford to try again if they're wrong," the researcher explains about this.

    One possibility is that this "consciousness" arises from the connections between the vascular systems of plants and their meristems, the tissues of undifferentiated plant cells that dividing give rise to new cells.

    In a previous work, published in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, Calvo and his colleagues had in fact already exhibited one vegetable consciousness theory based on integrated information (IIT), which postulates how we can identify the level of consciousness of a person (or any system) from the complexity of the interactions between its individual parts.

    Researchers have already begun to design other experiments that aim to make the issue completely right.

    “If successful, these could position plants as the next frontier in the science of consciousness and push us to rethink our perspectives on consciousness, how to measure it and its prevalence among living beings ".



    The research was published in Scientific Reports.

    Reference sources: The Guardian / Scientific Reports / Biochem Biophys Res Commun

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