Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo
Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Planta Sapiens
The New Science of Plant Intelligence

Author: Paco Calvo, Natalie Lawrence

Narrator: Christopher P. Brown

Unabridged: 7 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

An astonishing window into the inner world of plants, and the cutting-edge science in plant intelligence.

Decades of research document plants' impressive abilities: they communicate with one another, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is the new evidence that plants may actually be sentient. Although plants may not have brains, their microscopic commerce exposes a system not unlike the neuronal networks running through our own bodies. They can learn and remember, possessing an intelligence that allows them to behave in adaptive, flexible, anticipatory, and goal-directed ways.

A leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, Paco Calvo offers an entirely new perspective on plant biology. In Planta Sapiens, he shows for the first time how we can use tools developed in animal cognition studies in a quest to deeply understand plant intelligence. He illuminates how plants inspire technological advancements: from robotics and AI to tackling the ecological crisis. Most importantly, he demonstrates that plants are neither objects nor resources; they are agents in themselves, and for themselves.

About Paco Calvo

Paco Calvo is a professor of the philosophy of science and principal investigator at the Universidad de Murcia's Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab) in Spain.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jenna

I appreciate this author's enthusiasm for studying the many interesting behaviors of plants, but unfortunately, this book wasn't written very well. It's a strange mix of personal anecdotes that are only tangentially related to the main topics, lengthy jokes that fall flat (they really aren't funny a......more

Goodreads review by Thijs

As a plant scientist myself, I was super excited to start this book. I've long been intrigued by cognition in other species and Planta Sapiens seemed to offer insights into one of my favorite branches of the tree of life! So I got this at the end of last year and was very excited about it. And its b......more

A philosophical thought experiment more than a hard science book. There are some interesting ideas in here, but the book is too scattered to really engage with them.......more

** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled to be published on March 14, 2023 in the US. ** This was an interesting read, though a little more on the soft-science side. I enjoyed reading about the various tests that MINT lab......more