Do trees have feelings?

Scientists once considered plants to be pieces of furniture - no ears, no brains, no emotions. However, many recent research results have noted that plants have cognition, behavior and emotions.

Our ancestors once viewed plants as living entities, with extraordinary powers, intelligence and emotions towards surrounding species, and even understanding human wishes.

In the epic of the Edda (Norway), the cosmic tree Yggdrasil has roots extending to Mimir well, hiding knowledge and human wisdom.

The author of the Vedas also explained that when a small tree grows, it can lift a stone, not to mention a giant tree can support the sky. People used to pray to plants and trees as if they were praying to gods.

Reality and reality are still confused

Mr. Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), a famous scholar in the world of plant research, who sketched the natural system diagram (Systema Nature) for the entire modern biology, said: "The soil is the belly of In plants, the nutrients are the roots, the bones are the stems, the lungs are the leaves, and the heart is the heat. This is why the ancients called plants upside-down animals.

On May 10, 1901, the multi-talented Indian scientist Jagadis Chandra - an expert in mathematics, electronics, microwave technology, as well as a botanist as well as the father of wireless communication, was proved that plants, like any other form of life, have defined life cycles, reproductive systems, and awareness of their surroundings.

This scientific research work was presented at the Royal Society, London, UK. He was the first person to study electrical impulses occurring inside plant cells, creating changes within the cell membrane. Through this research, he proved that plants are sensitive to injury, pain and have emotions.

Some lawmakers in Switzerland have proposed draft regulations on protecting the "dignity" of plant species. Many new terms such as "plant intelligence" or "plant neuroscience" have faced many criticisms, especially from some scientists at that time.

However, many opinions believe that spiritual stories about plants are embroidered, associated with religious beliefs and contain superstitious elements. “I don't think plants are smart. I think plants are very complicated. Complexity should not be confused with intelligence." - said Mr. Chamovitz, a scientist and intellectual at that time.

From the 1970s until now, some progressive scientists have said that science has not developed to the level to find evidence and authenticate the above issue. We need to study the emotions of plants more deeply.

This not only opens the door to the secret of "emotional plants", but also explains a number of important questions: why, how, can plants adapt to their environment, and do they hearing, brain?

Reveal the secret

According to BBC, an experiment by two scientists Appel and Cocroft, from the University of Missouri, contributed to proving that plants have hearing and exhibit behavior.

They played Beethoven's music to attract caterpillars to attack the plants. The noise of the worms eating leaves stimulates the plant to secrete chemicals that help prevent this attack.

“Clearly, our ancestors did not misunderstand basic biology. Plants fight for territory, search for food, and avoid predators and traps. "Plants also exhibit behavior" - Mr. Schulltz, a botanist, works at the plant science department at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Mr. Schulltz has spent four decades studying the interactions between plants and insects.

In 2014, a group of researchers at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland discovered the presence of electrical waves, transmitted inside Arabidopsis plants, when attacked by caterpillars.

The presence of electrical signals in plants is not a new idea, dating back to 1874, but they discovered glutamate molecules, which aremost important neurotransmitter in the animal central nervous system. Strangely enough, although plants do not have a nervous system, glutamate is still present in plants and plays a role in transmission.

Ms. Moraes of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has also conducted research showing that plants have the ability to smell, hear insect sounds and emit signals that spread through the air to nearby plants. That's for warning.

Another notable point in scientific research published in 2016 has shown that plants have a "6th sense". They have the ability to sense mechanical sensations to detect changes in the surrounding environment, creating appropriate responses.

“We know that plants are involved in tubular microstructures (structural components of cells), which respond to mechanical stretching and deformation. Plants also have up to 11 types of light-stimulated receptor cells, compared to only 4 types in humans," Mr. Hamant, co-author of a body perception study in 2016, explained further.