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Planta Sapiens

Unmasking Plant Intelligence
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Planta Sapiens explores the surprising world of plant intelligence and awareness, presenting a thought-provoking argument that plants possess cognitive functions often attributed only to animals. The authors delve into the science behind plant perception, adaptation, and interaction with their environment, urging readers to reconsider the boundaries of intelligence and life as we know it.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are fascinated by the idea of plants having complex behaviours and intelligence similar to animals. It explores the concept that plants are sentient, examining their intricate ways of interacting with the environment. You'll enjoy insights into cutting-edge scientific research that challenges traditional views on plant capabilities.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A mind-bending journey into the overlooked world - and intelligence - of plants

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'A joy to read ... mind-expanding' Book of the Week, Guardian

'A bold and brave paean to our planet's ligneous, leafy kingdom' Telegraph

'An impressive exploration and dazzling insight into the lives of plants' Reaction Book Digest

What is it like to be a plant?

It's not a question we might think to contemplate, even though many of us live surrounded by plants. Science has long explored the wonderful ways in which plants communicate, behave, and shape their environments: from chemical warfare to turning their predators to cannibalism. But they're usually just the backdrop to our frenetic animal lives.

While plants may not have brains or move around as we do, cutting-edge science is revealing that they have astonishing inner worlds of an alternate kind to ours. They can plan ahead, learn, recognise their relatives, assess risks, and make decisions. They can even be put to sleep. Innovative new tools might allow us to actually see them do these things - from electrophysiological recordings to MRI and PET scans. If you can look in the right way, a world full of drama unfurls.

In Planta Sapiens, Professor Paco Calvo offers a bold new perspective on plant biology and cognitive science. Using the latest scientific findings, Calvo challenges us to make an imaginative leap into a world that is so close and yet so alien - one that will expand our understanding of our own minds.

From their rich subjective experiences to how they are inspiring novel ways of approaching the ecological crisis, Planta Sapiens is a dazzling exploration of the lives of plants and a call to approach how we think about the natural world in a new, maverick way.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo and Natalie Lawrence has received acclaim for its engaging and thought-provoking exploration of plant intelligence. Reviewers praise the book for its infectious enthusiasm, challenging readers to rethink plants as complex organisms rather than simple mechanisms. It is described as a mind-expanding and fascinating work that invites a revolutionary perspective on plant consciousness and behaviour.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349128436

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 July 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Little, Brown

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 240g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Paco Calvo is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINTLab) in the University of Murcia, Spain, where his research is primarily in exploring and experimenting with the possibility of plant intelligence. In his research at?MINTLab, he studies the ecological basis of plant intelligence by conducting experimental studies at the intersection of plant neurobiology and ecological psychology. He has given many talks on the topic of plant intelligence to academic and non-academic audiences around the world during the last decade.

Natalie Lawrence is a writer and illustrator with a PhD and MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science and a MCantab in Zoology from the University of Cambridge. Her work has appeared in BBC Wildlife, Aeon Magazine and Public Domain Review. She has been a TEDx speaker and appeared on BBC Woman's Hour.

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