# Talking to plants.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 6, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330 "2006-11-06T18:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/61 "2006-11-13T21:43:56Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] **Contrapuntal** was mistaken; the Wiki article does cite the Nature article. However, the Nature article does not confirm **Iamonfire’s** assertions. [/QUOTE] OK. I have read the Wiki article word for word. The word “nature” does not appear, much less a reference to an article in _Nature_. The name “Wildon” does not appear. This sentence --\* “[h]is . . . demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of . . . chemical agents . . .which were earlier thought to be of chemical in nature,”\* does not appear. Color me confused. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/62 "2006-11-13T22:12:28Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] OK. I have read the Wiki article word for word. The word “nature” does not appear, much less a reference to an article in _Nature_. The name “Wildon” does not appear. This sentence --\* “[h]is . . . demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of . . . chemical agents . . .which were earlier thought to be of chemical in nature,”\* does not appear. Color me confused. [/QUOTE] We have been talking about the Wiki article linked to by **SiXSwords** in post #43, rather than the one linked to by **Iamonfire** in post #19. Perhaps that is the source of your confusion? > **[Jagadish Chandra Bose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagadis_Chandra_Bose)** > > Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (/boʊs/; .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}IPA: \[d͡ʒɔɡod̪iʃ t͡ʃɔn̪d̪ro boʃu\]; 30 November 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a polymath with interests in biology, physics and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions to botany Born in M... Section 4 in the table of contents “Plant Research,” paragraph 4: > [@](#): > > His experiments showed that plants grow faster in pleasant music and its growth retards in noise or harsh sound. This was experimentally verified later on. His major contribution in the field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of various stimuli (wounds, chemical agents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of chemical in nature. These claims were experimentally proved by \*Wildon et al (Nature, 1992, 360, 62–65). He also studied for the first time action of microwaves in plant tissues and corresponding changes in the cell membrane potential, mechanism of effect of seasons in plants, effect of chemical inhibitor on plant stimuli, effect of temperature etc,. And all studies were pioneering. He claimed that plants can “feel pain, understand affection etc,” from the analysis of the nature of variation of the cell membrane potential of plants, under different circumstances. According to him a plant treated with care and affection gives out a different vibration compared to a plant subjected to torture. Or maybe the evil Admins have been changing the article every time you go to look at it!!! WTF!!! :mad:😕😉 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/63 "2006-11-13T22:16:02Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] We have been talking about the Wiki article linked to by **SiXSwords** in post #43, rather than the one linked to by **Iamonfire** in post #19. Perhaps that is the source of your confusion? > **[Jagadish Chandra Bose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagadis_Chandra_Bose)** > > Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (/boʊs/; .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}IPA: \[d͡ʒɔɡod̪iʃ t͡ʃɔn̪d̪ro boʃu\]; 30 November 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a polymath with interests in biology, physics and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions to botany Born in M... Section 4 in the table of contents “Plant Research,” paragraph 4: Or maybe the evil Admins have been changing the article every time you go to look at it!!! WTF!!! :mad:😕😉 [/QUOTE] Exactly. Thanks. \*\*iamonfire \*\*claimed that \*his \*link cited the Nature article. My responses have been to him. I have not read \*\*SixSwords \*\*link, but will now. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/64 "2006-11-13T22:19:04Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Exactly. Thanks. \*\*iamonfire \*\*claimed that \*his \*link cited the Nature article. My responses have been to him. I have not read \*\*SixSwords \*\*link, but will now. [/QUOTE] What the heck is up with all the ??? in that article? Should that not be a bit of a tip-off? ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/65 "2006-11-13T22:45:00Z")
I took those to be foreign language text. There are question marks with the same pattern in the _in foreign languages_ section on the left hand column. What should it be a tip-off to? FWIW, I followed that link becasue in the interview with Cleve linked earlier, he claimed that he stumbled on the sentience and borderline psychic capabilities of plants when he decided to see how long it took water to get from the roots of the plant to the leaves. In the wiki article, the claim is that he was inspired by the work of Sir Bose. That sounds a little… incongruous, to me. How many scientists start off their papers by relating a story of how they were bored and hooked their equipment up to some random crap in their office. Dude, I think the Ho-Hos are talkin’ to me, get the lie detector! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/66 "2006-11-13T22:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Exactly. Thanks. \*\*iamonfire \*\*claimed that \*his \*link cited the Nature article. My responses have been to him. [/quote] Actually he said: [QUOTE=Iamonfire] You are all haters - if Contracuntal had read **the** link he would have seen that the experiments were actually confirmed in "Wildon et al (Nature, 1992, 360, 62–65) [/QUOTE] Bolding mine. He seems to have been referring to \*\*SiXSwords \*\* link, not his own. > [@](#): > > What the heck is up with all the ??? in that article? Should that not be a bit of a tip-off? I don’t see any ???, but no doubt the mods are changing it on us. Or maybe your browser can’t handle the Hindi characters in the article and translates them to question marks. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/67 "2006-11-13T22:54:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Bose was born in Mymensingh (ময়মনসিংহ ) in Bengal (now in Bangladesh) (বাংলাদেশ ) on November 30, 1858. Do you see Hindi characters or question marks in the parentheses? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/68 "2006-11-13T23:05:20Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] Do you see Hindi characters or question marks in the parentheses? [/QUOTE] Question marks. I see what you mean about the link. I was engaged in a mostly one-sided conversation with him about his links. Since he referred to me, I assumed it was a continuation of same. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330/69 "2006-11-13T23:28:17Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Question marks. [/quote] It’s your browser settings then. I see them as Hindi characters. > [@](#): > > I see what you mean about the link. I was engaged in a mostly one-sided conversation with him about his links. Since he referred to me, I assumed it was a continuation of same. Generally any thread involving **Iamonfire** results in massive confusion due to his general incoherence, so that’s about par for the course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-to-plants/379330.md?page=3)