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May 17, 2008 12:52:28 AM CDT



Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence  

Posted Oct 30, 07 3:30 PM CDT in Science & Health Technology    Editor's Choice

(newser) – Plants have signaling and response systems that could make major contributions to robotics and communications research. The controversial field of “plant neurobiology” starts from the assumption that plant biology mirrors the human nervous system—and has a lot to teach scientists and engineers, Wired reports. The head of the world’s only plant intelligence lab says smarts aren’t “only about having a brain.”

Stefano Mancuso and his team want to counteract the notion that human-like feelings are necessary for intelligence. They’ve studied plant synapses and gravity sensing, and Mancuso says some flora have an “extensive vocabulary to convey alarms, health” and more. Robotic “plantoids” may even be used to explore Mars. And venus flytrap smarts may have something on people: “They do it without neuroses.”

Source Wired

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Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence
"If you define intelligence as the capacity to solve problems, plants have a lot to teach us," says Stefano Mancuso, an expert on floral intelligence.   ()
Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence
Venus flytrap: Ahh, that was yummy.   ((c) biskuit)
Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence
Mealworm in venus flytrap   ((c) blmurch)
Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence
P1070521   ((c) rkimpeljr)
Feed Me, Seymour! Lab Decodes Floral Intelligence
The effects of light on olive trees are among the reactions studied at the Floral Intelligence lab.   ((c) Wolfgang Staudt)
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Time Lapse - Watching flowers grow...   (WORLDPAINTER (YouTube))

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