Unveiling Plant Intelligence: Insights and Surprises

More and more studies published in recent years suggest that plants possess a relatively high level of intelligence: they sense what is happening around them and perceive human thoughts directed at them. Though they lack a brain, they do have a sensory center, and it is through this, a recent study suggests, that they 'think' about how to acquire energy and survive. 

The study, titled 'Brilliant Green: the Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence', was conducted by researchers Stefano Mancuso, a neurobiologist, and journalist Alessandra Viola. "The common belief about plant intelligence today is that the brain is a product of intelligence much like urine is a product of the kidneys - a rather abstract view," says Mancuso.

Mancuso, along with many other researchers, believes that plants do not have a brain. What they do have is a sensory center located at the tip of their roots, allowing them to 'think'; this is where their intelligence is concentrated, manifesting as electrical signals transmitted through nerve cells. "The primary driver of evolution in plants was to survive the massive removal of part of their body," emphasizes Mancuso, "Without central organs or functions, plants can endure predation without losing functionality. This is why plants don't have a brain: it's not for lack of intelligence, but because they would be too vulnerable."

According to Mancuso, the intelligence of plants is characterized, among other things, by their phenomenal ability to 'make decisions'. "Every decision a plant makes is based on computing the minimal resources it will need to solve a particular problem," the authors wrote in a newly published book detailing the research. 

Watch Rabbi Fanger's video on the subject:

Do Plants Have Feelings? An Article by Rabbi Zamir Cohen