Plant Neurobiology Shows How Trees are Just Like Humans

Understanding the Connection
You have more in common with trees than you think. It’s not such a weird idea when the emerging field of plant neurobiology is seeing increasing collaborations with other fields into the nature of plant intelligence. These studies are prompting scientists and spiritual communities, such as Damanhur, to reconsider the scope of communication and adaptation found in nature.

From a spiritual perspective, plants can be viewed as the ultimate alliance for human beings as all life forms part of a spiritual ecosystem where matter and form co-exist. Within this co-existence, the environment is an integral part of leading a holistic and balanced life. Science is beginning to echo what indigenous peoples, tree-huggers, shamans and spiritual teachers have been saying for a very long time. We do have far more in common with our leafy friends than we once thought.

Is being more sensitive to plant’s feelings the key to future adaptation? Well, plants have scientifically documented senses just like humans and animals. Thanks to plant neurobiology’s use of human analogies we can begin to understand how plants experience senses. According to Professor Stefano Mancuso, who leads the International Laboratory for Plant Neurobiology at the University of Florence, plants are a lot more sensitive than animals. He discovered that the very root apex of a plant has the capacity to detect 20 different physical and chemical parameters including gravity, light, magnetic field pathogens and more.

Plants have genes similar to those of an animal nervous system, specific proteins that have been shown to have definite roles in neural function and whilst they are not exactly the same as those found in animals, they are believed to behave in very similar ways. Through recognizing the sensory capacity of the ‘wood wide web’, a term coined by Professor Suzanne Simard, to describe the interconnectedness of trees, perhaps we’ll look at their sensory expressions a little differently.

The Importance of Our Plant Life

We know we need plants to live. With a rapidly altering natural environment, human population increasing, and changes in weather patterns, particularly precipitation, it’s important for us to know how plants sense, adapt and respond to their environment if we are interested in protecting biodiversity, eating plant-based ingredients and, you know, breathing clean air. Professor Daniel Chamovitz of What a Plant Knows regards the complex biology of plants as being completely underappreciated and underestimated, and claims that if we do not embrace and learn from the amazing complexity o