--- title: "New Experiments Examine Whether Plants Might Be Conscious Beings" description: "A scientist is attempting to build a framework for understanding \"plant neurobiology,\" with the hope of answering the question: are plants conscious?" date: "2022-08-27" modified: "2022-08-27" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/experiments-plants-conscious-beings" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "consciousness" - "plant intelligence" - "plants" - "the digest" --- # New Experiments Examine Whether Plants Might Be Conscious Beings ![A scientist is attempting to build a framework for understanding "plant neurobiology," with the hope of answering the question: are plants conscious?]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Plant Man Paco Calvo, a researcher at Spain's University of Murcia, is on a mission. According [to *New Scientist*](), he's attempting to build a solid scientific framework for understanding "plant neurobiology," with the hope of one day finding a firm answer to a deeply out-there question: are plants conscious? It's an ephemeral, controversial endeavor, not the least because science doesn't really have a concrete way of studying or even defining consciousness. We have to say, though — at least one of Calvo's experiments, though still conceptual, raises some interesting points. ## Beans, Baby Plants are [widely regarded as intelligent](), albeit in simple ways. They [talk](). They [react](). They [play tricks](). All of these, however, can be easily explained as simple evolutionary adaptations — passive reactions, rather than decisions made with real agency. "We know plants are aware of their environment and of themselves and each other," Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh, a professor of plant science at the University of Washington, told *New Scientist.* "We don't know if they are conscious." But according to the magazine, Calvo and others have developed a litmus test of sorts for measuring if there's a sense of agency — or at least cognition — in plant behavior. First, they ask if the behavior is flexible and proactive; second, they ask if that behavior is anticipatory; finally, third, they determine if that behavior is goal-oriented. This list in mind, Calvo thinks that he may have found an instance where a plant fits these qualifications: beans, baby. When beans climb, they really do appear to be searching for a good spot. They reach out in broad, scanning motions as they "decide" where to settle, and when they do latch onto a new rail, they exhibit a spike in [internal electrical signals]() — a combination of factors which Calvo, as he told *New Scientist*, believes may signal basic cognitive function, and even, much more loftily, as evidence that plants have subjective experiences. "It might even indicate that the bean 'knows' the pole is there," Calvo told the mag, though added that his team "must be very careful not to assume too much" Of course, Calvo has a *lot* of doubters, and it's worth noting that researchers across fields have long been attempting to understand, prove, and disprove consciousness in many plants, animals, and machines. Still, his work is certainly interesting — and as plant intelligence continues to surprise and delight, maybe he's onto something after all. **READ MORE:** [*The radical new experiments that hint at plant consciousness*]() \[*New Scientist*\] **More on plants:** *[Scientists Invent Way to Grow Plants in Complete Darkness]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()