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News: Celebrating 30 years of Star Control 2 - The Ur-Quan Masters

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| | |-+  Are Plants Intelligent?
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Author Topic: Are Plants Intelligent?  (Read 4630 times)
Jumping *Peppers*
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Re: Are Plants Intelligent?
« Reply #15 on: April 15, 2007, 08:57:54 pm »

Semantics?

Intelligence is not a boolean, unless we apply some sort of arbitrary threshold. It also has several dimensions which needs to be taken into account.

I find it unlikely that plants would be spending their evo points on intelligence. Sure, they might get some sensory data like light, nutrition and so forth, and they can move a little... But I would guess they mostly encounter the same situations over an over again, so there's no need for them to think on their feet.

Random:
There's an insect (I don't know the english name) that can actually sting a tree leaf and inject some DNA that mutates the leaf so it grows a little house for the insect. Or so I've heard. You've probably seen a little round bulge on a leaf at some occasion, that would be it.

SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE! *crowd cheers*
Thread over, Arne wins. Tongue
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Quote from: Arne, on the origin of the Mycon
Maybe a precursor were just like "Hey I built this mushroom thing, it can traavel between plaaanets!" and the others were like "Yaaaay!" and then they all deliriously clapped their hands and giggled like little schoolgirls.
Death 999
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Re: Are Plants Intelligent?
« Reply #16 on: April 16, 2007, 06:36:23 pm »

Heh, well I guess the decision made by the SC public here is : No Supox :S.

I wouldn't got that far. But the actual plants we have on earth? Not intelligent.
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Gaeamil
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Re: Are Plants Intelligent?
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2007, 06:00:34 am »

(Too lazy to read page 2, so I don;t know if I'm off topic)

Something I've heard of is that plants can tell people apart.  They set electrolyte sensors on plants, and had two people come up to them.  One would pet and be very kind to the plants, and the other would be abusive, including hitting them.  After a while, the plants would "relax", that is, lessen electrolytes, when the nice guy came around, and would "panic" (more electrolytes) when the mean guy came.

They did have a control plant that they were both indifferent to, of course.  No change for that one.

So I'm 100% in favor of plants being intelligent.  At least as much as some animals.
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