Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence

Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence PDF Author: Paco Calvo
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393881091
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
“Weaves science and history into an absorbing exploration of the many ways that plants rise to the challenge of living.” —Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life 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 each other, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is that although plants may not have brains, their internal workings reveal 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 flexible, forward-looking, and goal-directed ways. In Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo, a leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, offers an entirely new perspective on plants’ worlds, showing for the first time how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence. Plants learn from experience: wild strawberries can be taught to link light intensity with nutrient levels in the soil, and flowers can time pollen production to pollinator visits. Plants have social intelligence, releasing chemicals from their roots and leaves to speak to and identify one another. They make decisions about where to invest their growth, judging risk based on the resources available. Their individual preferences vary, too—plants have personalities. Calvo also illuminates how plants inspire technological advancements, from robotics to AI. Most importantly, he demonstrates that plants are not objects: they have their own agency. If we recognize plants as actors alongside us in the climate crisis—rather than seeing them simply as resources for carbon capture and food production—plants may just be able to help us tackle our most urgent problems.

Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence

Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence PDF Author: Paco Calvo
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393881091
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 199

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Weaves science and history into an absorbing exploration of the many ways that plants rise to the challenge of living.” —Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life 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 each other, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is that although plants may not have brains, their internal workings reveal 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 flexible, forward-looking, and goal-directed ways. In Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo, a leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, offers an entirely new perspective on plants’ worlds, showing for the first time how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence. Plants learn from experience: wild strawberries can be taught to link light intensity with nutrient levels in the soil, and flowers can time pollen production to pollinator visits. Plants have social intelligence, releasing chemicals from their roots and leaves to speak to and identify one another. They make decisions about where to invest their growth, judging risk based on the resources available. Their individual preferences vary, too—plants have personalities. Calvo also illuminates how plants inspire technological advancements, from robotics to AI. Most importantly, he demonstrates that plants are not objects: they have their own agency. If we recognize plants as actors alongside us in the climate crisis—rather than seeing them simply as resources for carbon capture and food production—plants may just be able to help us tackle our most urgent problems.

The Revolutionary Genius of Plants

The Revolutionary Genius of Plants PDF Author: Stefano Mancuso
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501187872
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
"In this thought-provoking, handsomely illustrated book, Italian neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso considers the fundamental differences between plants and animals and challenges our assumptions about which is the ‘higher’ form of life.” —The Wall Street Journal “Fascinating…full of optimism…this quick, accessible read will appeal to anyone with interest in how plants continue to surprise us.” —Library Journal Do plants have intelligence? Do they have memory? Are they better problem solvers than people? The Revolutionary Genius of Plants—a fascinating, paradigm-shifting work that upends everything you thought you knew about plants—makes a compelling scientific case that these and other astonishing ideas are all true. Plants make up eighty percent of the weight of all living things on earth, and yet it is easy to forget that these innocuous, beautiful organisms are responsible for not only the air that lets us survive, but for many of our modern comforts: our medicine, food supply, even our fossil fuels. On the forefront of uncovering the essential truths about plants, world-renowned scientist Stefano Mancuso reveals the surprisingly sophisticated ability of plants to innovate, to remember, and to learn, offering us creative solutions to the most vexing technological and ecological problems that face us today. Despite not having brains or central nervous systems, plants perceive their surroundings with an even greater sensitivity than animals. They efficiently explore and react promptly to potentially damaging external events thanks to their cooperative, shared systems; without any central command centers, they are able to remember prior catastrophic events and to actively adapt to new ones. Every page of The Revolutionary Genius of Plants bubbles over with Stefano Mancuso’s infectious love for plants and for the eye-opening research that makes it more and more clear how remarkable our fellow inhabitants on this planet really are. In his hands, complicated science is wonderfully accessible, and he has loaded the book with gorgeous photographs that make for an unforgettable reading experience. The Revolutionary Genius of Plants opens the doors to a new understanding of life on earth.

Planta Sapiens

Planta Sapiens PDF Author: Paco Calvo
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0393881083
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
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 wecan 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.

Systems Orthodontics

Systems Orthodontics PDF Author: Pietro Auconi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303164932X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description


The Emotional Lives of Animals

The Emotional Lives of Animals PDF Author: Marc Bekoff
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608689190
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
A seminal exploration of animal emotion, sentience, and cognition, revised and expanded to incorporate a surge of new science When award-winning scientist Marc Bekoff penned the first edition of this book in 2007, he predicted that over time our understanding of animal cognition and emotion would grow “richer, more accurate, and possibly different.” Since then, not only has the field seen an explosion of new and startling research, but the popular interest in the subject has grown as well, spawning countless podcasts, articles, and bestselling books. Bekoff skillfully blends extraordinary stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with the latest scientific research confirming the existence of emotions that common sense and experience have long implied. Filled with light humor and compassion, The Emotional Lives of Animalsis a clarion call for reassessing both how we view and how we treat animals.

The Sentient Tree in Speculative Fiction

The Sentient Tree in Speculative Fiction PDF Author: Jean Graham
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031605411
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description


Re-Thinking Agency

Re-Thinking Agency PDF Author: Joanna Godlewicz-Adamiec
Publisher: V&R unipress
ISBN: 373701762X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 419

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Book Description
The book explores the multi-faceted nature of contemporary reflections on agency, focusing on various discursive practices that shape the posthumanist approach to the relationship between the human and non-human world from a planetary perspective. The chapters delve into critical human-animal studies, examine new non-anthropocentric identity constructs, and offer analyses that reinterpret meanings through semiotic inversions and challenge static cultural patterns. The book concludes with discussions on decolonization practices that aim to liberate agency from oppressive systems, particularly those dominated by imperial phallogocentrism.

Ecological Interconnections

Ecological Interconnections PDF Author: Shruti Das
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666973890
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Ecological Interconnections: Critical Readings on Ethics, Sustainability and Interspecies Communication in Literature and Culture argues that literature and cultural studies are vital tools for understanding and addressing ecological issues. This edited book of sixteen essays explores how literary texts and cultural iconography can highlight ecological ethics, promote sustainability, and enhance interspecies communication. By critiquing anthropocentric perspectives and emphasizing non-human ecologies, the book explores the importance of deep ecology and ecoprecarity in contemporary discourse. Divided into three sections—"Interspecies Communication and Intersection," "Eco-ethical Intersection and Responsibility," and "Towards Ecological Sustainability"—the essays advocate for a practical shift from theoretical considerations to active ecological commitment. The book demonstrates that literature can cultivate eco-consciousness and empathy, fostering sustainable coexistence. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness of human and non-human life, making it an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and eco-conscious individuals.

Inventions of Teaching

Inventions of Teaching PDF Author: Brent Davis
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040097251
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
This updated edition of Inventions of Teaching: A Genealogy presents an examination of the many and varied metaphors of teaching in English. These metaphors serve as sites to excavate conflicting historical, con-ceptual, and philosophical influences that have contributed to modern teaching practices. Though the Eurocentric perspectives of the first edition remain a focus, they are placed in a broader context that acknowledges their, as the authors coin it, ‘WEIRDness’ (i.e., western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic nature). In this revised and expanded edition, these perspectives are accompanied by multiple case studies of non-Western and Indigenous educational traditions. Chapter discussions are organized as a genealogy around key conceptual bifurcations in thought rather than case-by-case analysis or a chronology. This structure allows the authors to examine the origins of distinctions that are often taken for granted, such as cognitivism vs. behaviorism, or constructivism vs. positivism. The genealogy develops around breaks in opinion that gave or are giving rise to diverse interpretations of knowledge, learning, and teaching--highlighting historical moments in which vibrant new figurative understandings of teaching emerged. A new chapter has been added, addressing the habits of interpretation needed to render the ‘WEIRD’ world sensible; alongside a much elaborated closing discussion, intended to bring WEIRD inventions of teaching into sharper relief by contrasting them with non-WEIRD cultures and some of their approaches to teaching. Inventions of Teaching: A Genealogy is an informative text for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in curriculum studies and foundations of teaching, It is also relevant for students, faculty, and researchers across the field of education who want to explore the consequences of diversities of opinion, belief, and practice concerning teaching and closely related topics of learning, knowing and formal education.

Biology Made Real

Biology Made Real PDF Author: Christian Moore-Anderson
Publisher: Christian Moore-Anderson
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
'This outstanding book... deserves to be very widely read. I hope it makes a major contribution to how school biology is taught.' —Dr Michael J. Reiss, Professor of Science Education, University of London 'This is a book that all teachers, not just biology teachers should read.' —Ben Strathearn-Burrows, Head of Biology, Emanuel School What you'll find inside: —A vision for an integrated and meaningful biology education. —A framework for teaching for meaning-making, which cuts planning time. —Ways of creating a unified narrative across disparate topics. —A taxonomy of understanding that unlocks problem-solving with minimal workload. —Tried and tested examples from mixed-attainment biology classrooms. Introduction I've been motivated to discover what biology is to us as humans. What it means to understand biology, and how I could make it meaningful for my students. I've read as much as I could and reflected, I've discussed and listened, I've taught and observed. While it doesn't cover all aspects of biology education, this book is about sharing what I've learnt on my journey of synthesising and trialling ideas with my secondary-school mixed-attainment biology classes. 'Not only is this book likely to change how you teach biology but also how you perceive yourself within the living world.' —Dr Alex Sinclair, Institute of Education, St Mary's University, Twickenham Chapter 1: Meaningful biology relates principally to organisms: This sets the scene for the whole book. It brings together many threads to define what I see as most meaningful to secondary biology students. And therefore what we could do about it when designing our lessons & curricula and thinking about how students progress through their biology education. Planning for meaning-making has vastly enhanced interest and motivation to learn in my classroom. Chapters 2 & 3: Teaching for meaning using variation theory: Next I introduce a powerful—relatively unknown and often misunderstood—pedagogical theory. Variation theory. In these chapters I set out to show how useful it is—and easy to use—in the secondary biology classroom, with many examples. Chapter 4: How to integrate organisms, ecology & evolution: Now I pull together the previous chapters to present a new framework for teaching for meaning-making that cuts planning time & focuses on biology. 'An excellent text demanding we think not just about what we teach but also why and how.’ —Dr Paul Ganderton, Consultant and researcher Chapter 5: Concepts of the organism that unite a biology course: Here I discuss two concepts that I think can unify all the topics on the curriculum. 1. Seeing biology through thermodynamic systems lens and, 2. Seeing biology through an ecological-evolutionary lens via the concept of life strategies. I lay out the reasons why and discuss how I've introduced these ideas with students. Chapter 6: Teaching systems thinking to help students see interconnectedness: This chapter is dedicated to systems thinking. Firstly I show how stock and flow diagrams are very useful for the biology classroom and give examples. Next, I introduce a new taxonomy of understanding biological systems. Chapter 7: Establishing a thinking classroom: This chapter is focused on the whys and hows of embedding the taxonomy into my biology curricula. I give examples of how I use it and examples of my students answers from lower and upper secondary courses. Chapter 8: Navigating classroom and biological complexity: This chapter rounds up the book by considering the complexity of our subject and the classroom. ‘Biology Made Real comes with an education health warning—be prepared to have your beliefs challenged.' —Dr Alex Sinclair