A recent study has found that plants may “scream” when they are stressed or injured, raising questions about whether or not they feel pain. The study, conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, found that plants emit a high-frequency sound when their stems are cut or when they are under stress from lack of water or heat.
Do Plants Feel Pain? The Science Behind Plant Communication
Many people become vegan because they don’t believe in the exploitation of animals for food and other products. This recent discovery, however, may put some vegans in a bit of a predicament. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered that pants appear to make more sounds than we first thought. In fact, they seem to scream out in pain when they are under stress, for example, severe dehydration or when their stems are being cut. This discovery has led to a renewed interest in the science of plant communication and the question of whether plants can feel pain. (1)
Plant Communication
While the idea of plant consciousness may seem far-fetched to some, there is evidence to suggest that plants are far more complex than we previously thought. For example, plants are known to communicate with each other through chemical signals, warning each other of potential threats such as insect attacks. They also have the ability to respond to external stimuli, such as changes in light and temperature. (2)
But does this mean that plants feel pain? The answer is not as simple as a yes or no. While plants do not have a central nervous system like animals, they have a similar stress response system. The human ear can’t detect their distress sounds, but other plants around them can. Some even think that some insects might be able to hear it, too.
The Study
To study this, the researchers specifically studied tomato and tobacco plants in a greenhouse setting. They purposefully stressed the plants by depriving them of water. Though to the human eye, the tomato plants looked fine, they could already detect distress sounds from them by the second day. These sounds resemble the sound popcorn makes while popping. The frequency peaked at day five and then slowly became less as the plant died. They also found that cut plants and dehydrated plants make different noises.
However, this does not necessarily mean that plants experience pain in the same way that animals do. Pain is a subjective experience that requires a complex nervous system and brain. While plants may have a stress response system, they do not have the necessary neural pathways to experience pain like animals do.
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Chemical Communication
While many researchers hesitate to say that “plants use sound,” plants communicate with other plants and pollinators. They do this mostly by releasing floating, airborne chemicals. The use of sound is a new idea that we don’t fully understand yet.
Can Plants Hear?
Lilach Hadany, a Tel Aviv University mathematician who co-authored the study, did find strong evidence that plants can hear. They found that flowers when exposed to the sound of buzzing bees, begin releasing sweet pollen. They do not do this when in the presence of any other sounds. If plants can hear, then perhaps the idea that they can also create sounds to communicate isn’t as far-fetched as it might originally sound.
The Bottom Line
So, while the idea of “plant screaming” may sound alarming, it is important to remember that plants are not capable of experiencing pain in the same way that animals do. However, this discovery sheds light on the fascinating world of plant communication and the complex ways plants interact with their environment and each other.
This study on plant communication has raised many questions about the nature of plant consciousness and the possibility of plant pain. While the evidence suggests that plants do not experience pain like animals do, they are far more complex and sophisticated than we previously thought. The study of plant communication and behavior is a fascinating field of research that has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the natural world.
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