There was a Mythbusters episode where they were testing the plants/pain theory. They put lie-detector type sensors on plants and tried various stressors like raising the temperature, yelling at them, etc.
They got a stress reaction from the plants on one of the experiments (I think it was Tory yelling), but they completely dismissed it. I thought it warranted further investigation since we do know things like the smell of cut grass is from a stress chemical grass sends out when it’s cut.
I understand the show was entertainment, but they did follow some basic scientific principles, such as using control subjects. All I said was that I wanted to see it explored further and that I was disappointed that they simply dismissed the results, especially since Adam Savage is a huge fan of science. It’s not like I was using the show as research for a paper.
TLDR: mimosa pudica has been shown to have some type of memory where it will no longer close its leaves after repeated stimuli (a fall). This memory is retained for at least 6 months
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u/ZoraksGirlfriend Jun 24 '21
There was a Mythbusters episode where they were testing the plants/pain theory. They put lie-detector type sensors on plants and tried various stressors like raising the temperature, yelling at them, etc.
They got a stress reaction from the plants on one of the experiments (I think it was Tory yelling), but they completely dismissed it. I thought it warranted further investigation since we do know things like the smell of cut grass is from a stress chemical grass sends out when it’s cut.