Skip to content

Do plants feel pain?

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Alexanderhili

Pain is defined by humans as a highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury—something that humans usually try to avoid.

Plants, like humans, want to avoid illness or injury. In the light of this, plants feel pain. They have a defensive mechanism that allows them to secrete compounds that can warn nearby plants that a threat is nearby. These plants respond by defending themselves through, for one thing, the production of sour tasting toxins that cause the herbivore discomfort (meaning, for example, that goats end up with upset stomachs).

So plants do feel ‘pain’ and have evolved to react to it—food for thought.

Author

More to Explore

Molecular Mail: Tiny Parcels for Tracking Tumours

Tumours are not discreet. As cancer cells grow and change, they release microscopic particles into their environment. Some of these particles enter the bloodstream. They are small, abundant, and, as researchers are beginning to realise, potentially informative. A Maltese research project is testing whether extracellular vesicles can provide a less invasive source of cancer information.

The Colour of Malta

Matylda Maria Jarosz is an artist who recently exhibited Walking the Coastline, which uses materials from Malta’s natural space to depict that same wilderness. Following her experience and master’s at the University of Malta, she will be teaching courses on Contemporary Weaving and Sustainable Art later in the year. THINK’s Jonathan Firbank speaks with Jarosz about her Master of Arts project, and the journey it represents.

The Doctor’s New Partner: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

For centuries, medicine has balanced science with experience and intuition. Two patients with the same diagnosis may receive the same treatment, yet their outcomes can differ dramatically. That has long been one of medicine’s most frustrating mysteries, and one of its biggest challenges. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to close this gap. What was once a vision of the future is now entering clinics, laboratories, and even operating rooms, redefining how care is delivered and how doctors and patients interact.

Comments are closed for this article!