Otters and Science News: PLANTS LEARN LIKE HUMANS, says scientist, after surprising study results

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Monday, December 12, 2016

PLANTS LEARN LIKE HUMANS, says scientist, after surprising study results

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A new study has revealed for the first time that plants can learn about their environment and make links between events in the same way we do.

Do plants learn like humans? Smart seedlings can be taught to adapt to their environment

Previously it had been thought the ability to learn was exclusive to animals

But experiments with pea seedlings suggest that plants can learn too

Seedlings were able to learn and choose the best growth direction for survival by correctly predicting the occurrence of light once it was removed

The saying goes 'you live and learn', and it seems that this logic may apply beyond humans. A new study has revealed for the first time that plants can learn about their environment and make links between events in the same way we do. The researchers hope that their findings will open up bigger ecological questions of how changes to our environment will shape future plant communities.

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Previously it had been thought the ability to learn was exclusive to animals. But researchers from the University of Western Australia set out to prove that plants too were capable of associative learning.

The study, published in the online journal Scientific Reports, was inspired by Pavlov's experiments with dogs, one of the most revealing studies in the history of behavioural research, which demonstrated that behaviour could be changed using conditioning.

Through a range of behavioural experiments, the team was able to provide convincing evidence that plants were capable of learning a particular association between the occurrence of one event and the anticipation of another.

Professor Gagliano, who led the study, experimented with pea seedlings, placing them in a Y-shaped maze to see how they responded after initially being exposed to light from a particular direction.

Using a fan and a light the team were able to 'teach' the seedlings where the best light would be by getting them to associate light being in a certain place in relation to the fan.

With a Y-shaped tube and a seedling at the bottom, the researchers showed that if they placed a light at one end of the Y, the seedling would again try and head to that end of the Y shape because it associated it with the light, even if the light had been removed.

The results showed the seedlings were able to learn and choose the best growth direction for survival by correctly predicting the occurrence of light once it was removed.

Professor Gagliano said the ability of plants to employ a wide range of adaptations had made them a predominant form of life on Earth. Yet the possibility that plants were capable of forming associations between environmental cues to enhance their ability to 'forage' for light had never been explored.

Professor Gagliano said: 'Because our findings are unexpected, we anticipate that this study will stir a lively and exciting debate on the origin and properties of memory, learning and ultimately intelligent behaviour in biological systems.

'By challenging the way we currently view the agency of plants and their behaviours, which have enabled them to flourish, the research opens up new and bigger ecological questions of how modifications to our environment will shape future plant communities.

'Beyond plants, these findings compel us to review our thinking about the essential mechanisms underlying information processing throughout living systems.'

SUMMARY:

Professor Gagliano, who led the study, experimented with pea seedlings, placing them in a Y-shaped maze to see how they responded after initially being exposed to light from a particular direction.
Using a fan and a light the team were able to 'teach' the seedlings where the best light would be by getting them to associate light being in a certain place in relation to the fan.
With a Y-shaped tube and a seedling at the bottom, the researchers showed that if they placed a light at one end of the Y, the seedling would again try and head to that end of the Y shape because it associated it with the light, even if the light had been removed.
The results showed the seedlings were able to learn and choose the best growth direction for survival by correctly predicting the occurrence of light once it was removed.

RELATED:

PLANTS TALK TO EACH OTHER

TO WARN OF PREDATORS

It is claimed sagebrush plants (pictured)

send chemical messages through the air

A previous study in 2009 found that members of the vegetable kingdom can communicate with each other.
They are 'capable of more sophisticated behaviour than we imagined,' says American bug expert Professor Richard Karban.
His work, which he admits is 'controversial', suggested that plants converse by sending chemical messages through the air, warning of hungry predators.
When a neighbouring plant 'hears' the message, it boosts its defences against grasshoppers, caterpillars and other invaders, he believes.
Professor Karban, of the University of California, claimed to have proved that conversations happen between sagebrush bushes - hardy, yellow-flowered shrubs native to the western U.S.
Using scissors, he clipped away at leaves and stems of potted shrubs, damaging them in the same way as a grasshopper would.
He then planted some damaged and undamaged plants in a field and measured levels of predation on their neighbours.
The leaves of the plants with clipped neighbours suffered the least grasshopper damage, according to the journal Ecology Letters.

Sources
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4005956/Do-plants-learn-like-humans-Smart-seedlings-taught-adapt-world-them.html

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep38427#f1

RELATED

YES, PLANTS HAVE INTELLIGENCE

They have between 15 and 20 senses, while we have only five, and amazing alternate resources to hear, smell, see, make choices, detect chemicals, fight enemies, attract allies, communicate, and even think and remember

HOW PLANTS AND TREES TALK

PLANTS COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER USING MOLECULAR LANGUAGE

PLANTS CAN IDENTIFY SOUNDS NEARBY, SUCH AS CATERPILLARS MUNCHING ON LEAVES, AND REACT WITH CHEMICAL DEFENSES

THE PALM TREE THAT WATERS AND FERTILIZES ITSELF in very poor soil where no other trees can survive

The story of the Coco de Mer Palm of the Seychelles islands

More interesting articles

on plants and trees on this blog

http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Plants%20and%20Trees

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DANGEROUS PET FOOD ALERT

2014 - JERKY PET TREATS ARE KILLING DOGS.

At least one thousand dogs have been killed and over 5000 made seriously ill. This has been going on for months. No action from FDA so far. Read more:
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/05/thousands-of-american-dogs-sickened-and.html
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Also check this website for the latest pet food recalls. Filter for either cat or dog products. (Please note that manufacturers often voluntarily recall products so they won't appear on this list.)
https://www.avma.org/news/issues/recalls-alerts/pages/pet-food-safety-recalls-alerts.aspx?fvalue=Cat
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If at all possible, try to feed your pet people food. The web has samples of pet food recipes and information on what is nutritionally best for dogs and cats. Giving them people food will save you money in the long run, with a healthier pet and fewer visits to the vet.

USA and EU GIVE BILLIONS TO PALESTINIANS, who use money to pay salaries TO TERRORISTS WHO KILL JEWS

ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO BE A BALLET DANCER ~~~ Hallel Jafa Ariel was only 13, and was sleeping in her home in Israel after a ballet public performance, when a Palestinian from a neighboring village stabbed her multiple times, killing her. ~~~ The terrorist's mother lauded her son as a HERO. ~~~ The Palestinian Authority now pays the terrorist's family a substantial salary for life as a reward, ~~~ The Palestinian Authority spends enormous amounts of money paying salaries to terrorists or their families. ~~~ AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS HAVE CONTRACTED OUT THE ARABS TO KILL JEWS IN ISRAEL ~~~ CLICK ON IMAGE to read more about HALLEL and her tragic end

DO PLANTS HAVE INTELLIGENCE? Latest research indicates they do

Plants have between 15 and 20 senses, some of them analogous to our five senses. ~~~ Plants are able to sense and respond to light, water, gravity, temperature, soil structure, nutrients, toxins, microbes, herbivores, and chemical signals from other plants. This could not be done without an informational processing system. ~~~ They can form alliances with insects to use them as bodyguards, and when threatened by predators, they can summon them by using chemical signals. ~~~ They can get useful insects hooked on the drugs they make. ~~~ They use chemical warfare to fight enemies. ~~~ READ MORE fascinating facts about plant intelligence by clicking on these flowers..

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MENTAL ILLNESS AND ISLAM - What science says about it

The sciences of GENETICS and EPIGENTICS demonstrate that human EVOLUTION is still ongoing. ~~~ Changes in the human genome occur as a result of many factors in the physical and cultural environment. ~~~ Studies demonstrate that GENETIC CHANGES occur even during the lifetime of a person, and they can be inherited by their children. ~~~ In the case of ISLAM we have to consider 14 centuries of harsh indoctrination and cultural violence, repressed normal sexuality, and a lifestyle rooted in 7th century Arabia, in sharp conflict with 21st century science and culture. ~~~ MUSLIM UPBRINGING includes mental and physical abuse, and often sexual abuse of boys and girls as well. - The INBREEDING factor is also significant. Marriages to first cousins are very common, resulting too often in children with physical and mental disabilities. ~~~ The incidence of MENTAL ILLNESS and mental disability among Muslims has been all but ignored by countries that are importing millions of Muslim migrants. - This genetic factor may explain why second and third generation of Western Muslims have difficulty controliing emotions, and sometimes engage in actions of extreme violence. CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ MORE

IN PRAISE OF HEROES - Fighting wildfires or preventing a massacre on a French train

THE FEMINIST CULTURE denigrates men and ignores their heroic nature and their dignity. - It is MEN who we rely on to face the most life-threatening dangers and to save our lives and property.. - READ article on the men who gave up their lives fighting wildfires in Washington State, and the three US marines who stopped a Muslim from perpetrating a massacre on a French train. - READ article debunking the MYTH OF MALE PRIVILEGE. - In fact, men are mistreated by our society. WAR VETERANS languish without proper medical care, and are often homeless. - CLICK ON IMAGE to read articles

SKINNING AND OFTEN COOKING DOGS AND CATS ALIVE IN CHINA AND OTHER S.E. ASIAN COUNTRIES

It is disturbing that countries with thousands of years of civilization allow the torture of dogs and cats to be used for FOOD and the FUR INDUSTRY. - This is LEGAL in China and acceptable practice in Vietnam, Cambodia, and other S.E. Asian countries. - We have trade, diplomatic, and educational links with those nations, and in this way we are also indirectly COMPLICIT with this horror. - Hundreds of thousands of DOGS and CATS are tortured this way each year. - This PHOTO shows a puppy at a dog market in China (probably a stolen pet), lovingly pleading for attention. Later he was skinned alive. - CLICK on image to read more about this inhumane tradition, and to see related images, including those of dogs being boiled alive.

PRIONS FROM SICK DEER CAN PASS FROM DEER TO GRASS TO COW TO HUMAN - PRIONS CAUSE BRAIN DISEASES

PRIONS (tiny disease-causing agents) from SICK DEER's urine and feces can bind to PLANT roots and then travel to stem and leaves. - PRIONS are then consumed by grazing COWS, who can pass the prion infection on to HUMANS. - WHAT IS AMAZING about this is how cows can contract a serious animal disease by way of a plant. - Prions are responsible for several serious BRAIN DISEASES in animals and humans. PRIONS cause MAD COW, Creutzfeld-Jacob, and several other brain diseases, and have been linked to ALZHEIMER'S. CLICK ON IMAGE to read more.

EARTH GRAVITY WAVES RIPPLING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

The upper atmosphere is not only disturbed by SOLAR storms but by EARTH gravity waves as well - Gravity waves are born when air masses are pushed up or down by a thunderstorm, perhaps, or when wind is forced up and over a mountain range. When they reach the upper atmosphere these waves have built in amplitude and extent. They can dominate atmospheric processes sometimes threatening the reliability of Earth-based communication systems. - CLICK on image to read more and watch video of computer-generated model of gravity waves.

WHAT EARTHQUAKE AND OTHER DISASTER EXPERTS DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

READ ABOUT THE BIG ONE. Also, whether as a result of a mega-earthquake, large tsunami, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event (from a giant solar flare or from a terror attack that would fry the power grid), NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ARE VERY VULNERABLE TO MELTDOWN ~~~ A sustained electric power failure lasting several days would leave nuclear power plants unable to operate, unleashing a full meltdown.~~~~~ We already saw how a well-prepared country like JAPAN has been unable to bring its FUKUSHIMA nuclear power plant under control after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, leading to a meltdown. JAPAN will continue to dump millions of gallons of extremely radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean for at least the rest of this century. ~~~ READ ABOUT PREPAREDNESS for you and your PETS.~~~ CLICK ON IMAGE to read more

YELLOWSTONE ERUPTION OR NOT - BE PREPARED FOR ANY DISASTER - List of 50 PREPPER websites

A Yellowstone geologist stated that science can predict the MEGAVOLCANO behavior only as far as two weeks into the future - nothing more. Anything could happen beyond that time frame. ~~~ But Yellowstone is not the only threat on the horizon. ~~~ There are severe WEATHER EVENTS every year. ~~~ A SOLAR FLARE or a terror attack could unleash an electomagnetic pulse event (EMP) that would fry our grid and all electronics for a long time. ~~~ And then there are EARTHQUAKES ~~~ We have witnessed how incompetent all levels of government are to deal with these situations. We are on our own. So here is an article about the threat of the Yellowstone megavolcano. The article also provides preparedness tips for you, your family,and YOUR PETS for either evacuation or for hunkering down at home for an extended period of time ~~~ It includes a LIST of 50 PREPPER websites. ~~~ Illustration: Yellowstone magma pocket - by National Park Service ~~~ CLICK ON IMAGE to read article.

WHY DO MUSLIMS HATE YOU?

A good Muslim follows the Koran and Hadith to the letter. Read how those Muslim scriptures order Muslims to DESPISE AND KILL THE INFIDEL. ~~~ Muslims regard western values as repugnant, and many see jihad as justified. ~~~ Islam is not compatible with western culture. There can be no assimilation. ~~~ Abandoning Islam, or APOSTASY, is punishable by death. ~~~ Muslims have been waging war against other people since the 7th century. ~~~ It was always CONVERT OR DIE. Countless indigenous cultures and religions across Asia and Africa have been obliterated, forced to submit to Islam. ~~~ According to conservative estimates, Islam has killed 270 MILLION non-Muslims during 14 centuries of conquest and tyranny. That makes it the biggest GENOCIDE in history. ~~~ CLICK ON IMAGE to read why Islam hates you, in their own words, and learn more about the Muslim genocide

BRITISH TAXPAYERS OUTRAGED at EU spending their money building ILLEGAL ARAB SETTLEMENTS in Israel

FOR SEVEN YEARS ISRAELI AUTHORITIES HAVE DONE NOTHING to stop the EU building of illegal Arab settlements on Jewish land ~~~~~ While Israel has frozen construction across the Green Line, and razes the tiniest house addition or Jewish unauthorized outposts on the hills, Arabs keep building ILLEGAL SETLEMENTS with impunity, and with the funding and assistance of the European Union. Those settlements are in internationally-recognized Israeli land (Area C), thus the EU is not only violating Israeli sovereignty, but its own diplomatic rules of operation in foreign countries. - These illegal Arab settlements are meant to be FACTS ON THE GROUND for the eventual Muslim takeover of Jewish land - EUROPEANS DID NOT WANT JEWS IN EUROPE and murdered MILLIONS of them. Now they don't want Jews in their ancient homeland of ISRAEL either, call them "occupiers," and demand that the land be given to descendants of Muslims who invaded Israel in the 7th century. - The EU (inspired by the Nazi boycotts against Jews) already labels and boycotts products from the Jewish heartland - THE EU WAR AGAINST THE JEWS persists as they contract out the Arabs to continue Hitler's mission of killing Jews. Europe and the United States are the main funders of the Palestinian Authority, contributing to salaries paid to terrorists who murder innocent Israelis..CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ ARTICLE AND WATCH VIDEO

ISIS PLAN FOR INFILTRATING EUROPE AS REFUGEES

Along with Muslim refugees pouring into Europe there is a significant percentage of terrorists from ISIS and other Muslim factions. About 75% of those migrants are young men of military age. - This invasion follows ISIS threat earlier this year to flood Europe with HALF A MILLION MIGRANTS to unleash chaos. - The sudden spike in migration to Europe has been well orchestrated behind the scenes with the willing cooperation of Europeans. ~~~~~~~ Here we have a PERFECT STORM. (1) European leftist political elites need to expand their voting base with benefits-dependent migrants. (2) Business looks forward to cheap labor. (3) Leftists and media blatantly manipulate European shame for the Holocaust. Anyone opposed to this invasion is branded a RACIST.. - Basic math predicts an eventual demographic takeover of Europe by Islam. - The cartoon here has a an immigration officer asking jihadists "Anything to declare?" while they invade Europe - CLICK on image to read more

SATIRE - WHAT THE U.S. AND EU REALLY MEAN BY LAND FOR PEACE

Europe and the US commiserate for the loss of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. - But they obsessively demand that Israel be partitioned along borders only 9 miles wide at their narrowest point. - These borders and the creation of ANOTHER ARAB TERROR STATE under ISIS or Iran's influence will certainly lead to a Holocaust of 6 million Israeli Jews. - On this SATIRE White House aides promise that if the Arabs massacre the Jews in a shrunk Israel, Israelis should take comfort in the fact that the world will have an annual commemoration of their sacrifice for peace. - Image from Israel Matzav blog - CLICK on picture to read article.

THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION FOR FRANCE - AND NO-GO ZONES MAPS

CLICK on image to read details and satire by Prof. Stephen Plaut ~~~~~ And on a serious note, to read about the No-Go Zones or Muslim statelets already existing in Paris and rest of France ~~~~~ This poster, created by Daniel Pipes in the aftermath of the January 2015 Muslim attacks on French citizens in Paris, reflects the formula championed by France for the partition of Israel for the creation of a terror Palestinian state in the ancient Jewish heartland of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem ~~~~~ The poster reads: THIS ATTACK ONLY UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR FRANCE TO IMMEDIATELY ENGAGE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH FRENCH MUSLIMS THAT WILL RESULT IN THE CREATION OF TWO STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES, LIVING SIDE BY SIDE IN PEACE AND SECURITY, WITH PARIS AS A SHARED CAPITAL

HITLER, THE NUREMBERG NAZI PARADE GROUNDS, and the resurgence of Nazi ideas in the EU

HITLER is gone but the relics of his Third Reich still hold Europe under his spell. - See PHOTOS of the NUREMBERG NAZI PARADE GROUNDS, and read about the plans for their renovation. - HITLER's racist and genocidal ideas now loom ever larger in Europe, as NEO-NAZIS, anti-Semitic pro-Palestinian LEFTISTS, and genocidal EU MUSLIMS find common cause in their hatred against Jews. - Germany will republish MEIN KAMPF in 2016. - Germany and the EU fund and organize BOYCOTT ISRAEL campaigns inspired by Nazi boycotts of Jewish stores in the 1930s. - Jews are being persecuted and MURDERED in the EU, mostly at the hands of EU Muslims. - Anti-Semitic activities in Germany alone rose by 1,000% in 2014, mostly by EU Muslims. - The NAZI-MUSLIM ALLIANCE that dates back to the 1940s, when the Palestinian leader, the Mufti of Jerusalem, joined Hitler in Berlin for the design and implementation of the Final Solution, and for the formation of a Bosnian Muslim SS Nazi division that perpetrated gruesome war crimes in Eastern Europe - CLICK on image to see Nuremberg then and now images, to read more, and watch VIDEO

IF JESUS LIVED IN JUDEA TODAY

Jesus would be called a "SETTLER" and Arabs would deny him access to Temple Mount (where Muslim conquerors erected a mosque), and to much of Judea and Samaria (West Bank), today under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) where no Jews are allowed. ~~~ Jews who have ventured into the PA have been LYNCHED. ~~~ Jesus would not be safe anywhere in Israel. He would be pelted with ROCKS or STABBED for being a "settler". Or he would be DECAPITATED, as Arabs did to four rabbis praying at a Jerusalem synagogue in 2014. ~~~ If Jesus were a child he would be BURNED BY FIREBOMBS (as Arabs did to a child in December 2014), or have his THROAT SLASHED in his own home, as Arabs did to the Fogel children. ~~~ CLICK on image to read more about the Muslim war against Jews and Christians in today's Judea and Samaria.

DECEPTION AND CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE IN ISRAEL

The insidious and wicked influence of the powerful pro-Arab Jewish left in Israel, promoting partition and/or the end of Jewish Israel. - WATCH EXCELLENT VIDEOS exposing the truth behind the Palestinian claim to Jewish land and the LAND FOR PEACE HOAX - This PHOTO by Oded Balilty won a Pulitzer Prize, and shows Nili, a teenager, defending her land against goons sent by the Israeli government. She was badly beaten in what is now known as THE AMONA POGROM: Israeli pollice brutally expelling Jews from their homes - READ about this, about the political conspiracy of silence about issues that are crucial for Israel's long-term survival, and about the political mediocrity that is irreparably harming Israel. CLICK on image to read article and watch videos

ONE ELEPHANT IS KILLED EVERY 15 MINUTES ON AVERAGE

Elephants will be EXTINCT in the wild in less than 10 years. PLEASE DEMAND that wild elephants be better protected. Although rescue and conservation organizations do their best, elephants are still being murdered. Organizations raise orphans only to release them to places where they will be killed for their tusks. ELEPHANTS NEED TRULY SAFE RESERVES that can be properly patrolled and defended from poachers. Current protection arrangements are not enough. CLICK on image for related news story about an elephant orphan.

SKINNED ALIVE FOR THEIR FUR in Asia - Millions tortured this way - BAN THE FUR TRADE

Puppies live only a few months inside cages before being slaughtered, gone INSANE from cruel treatment. ~~~ A few adult animals spend their entire lives inside cages breeding more puppies. ~~~ See photos of CHINESE WORKERS GRINNING as they immobilize puppies by ELECTROCUTION and then skin them alive. ~~~ After that the tortured animals are tossed on a pile to AGONIZE IN EXCRUTIATING PAIN. ~~~ This is all LEGAL in China. ~~~ In S.E. Asian countries with animal welfare laws, they are not enforced. ~~~ The West buys these furs because they are classified as belonging to "RACOON DOGS" (relatives of dogs) and not to dogs.. ~~~ PETITIONS are not enough. ~~~ The fur trade in the West must be stopped altogether. ~~~ CLICK ON IMAGE to read story and see heartbreaking photos and VIDEO from inside a Chinese fur farm.

THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF CAVES

IT ALL STARTED WITH A MEATBALL

Arthur was a stray dog who decided to join a European Peak Performance Team during their treck through the jungle in South America. It all started when one of the members gave him a meatball. From then on Arthur followed them through all kinds of challenges. In the end his loyalty, bravery and devotion paid off. He was first accepted as the fifth member of the team, and later adopted and flown to Sweden to live with a loving family in a forever home. CLICK on the image to read this moving and amazing story.

PLEASE PROTEST THE POACHING OF PRECIOUS WILDLIFE

HOW THE ISSUE OF ABORTION DEFINES OUR SOCIETY - Planned Parenthood caught selling baby body parts

In July 2015 a top physician with PLANNED PARENTHOOD was secretly filmed talking callously about crushing babies and illegally selling their body parts. - But it's not only P.P's. fault. US authorities and women rights defenders continue to support P.P. no matter what, and so far there has been no effort to charge them with an ILLEGAL ACT. - CLICK on photo to read about this scandal and other related articles, such as aborted babies, along with other medical waste, being burned as fuel to heat buildings in Oregon and in the UK. - Image of a newborn by Joanne Collins

PALESTINIAN ARABS - NAZIS THEN, NAZIS NOW

Their leader during the 1940s, the Mufti of Jerusalem, lived in Berlin and closely collaborated with Hitler and his henchmen in the design and implementation of the Holocaust. ~~~ He also created a Muslim Nazi SS Division guilty of gruesome crimes in Eastern Europe. ~~~ Later he trained Yassir Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas to kill Jews and destroy Israel. ~~~ Today Palestinian Arabs profess admiration for Hitler and widely support his genocidal ideology. ~~~ They often praise Hitler, do the Nazi salute during military and student rallies, and display Nazi flags. ~~~ Photo Jerusalem Arab university students rally making the Nazi salute. (Photo Tom Gross Media.) CLICK on image to read more