mistioud
Active Member
"
I think you can make a case they are as advanced as we are. um you look skeptical. But when you think about it what does it mean to be a advanced creature, an advanced being? It all depends on what advanced you value. We value consciousness and toolmaking and book writing and the ability to give lectures. But by the yard stick of organic chemistry they are so far beyond us
they have been evolving longer than we have just in another direction working to confront the same challenges here on earth.. especially challenges of reproduction and defense.
the size of the human genome. The number of genes we have. estimate 1: 35K. A surprise.. scandalous consider a round worm has 20K how?! We were predicted at over 100K. Rice has 50K. Maybe not a fair standard for being advanced but good snapshot of complexity. Enormous respect for these plants. There sophistication. While we were nailing down consciousness and locomotion they were nailing down organic chemistry they got the arts of molecular seduction and defense. they are natures alchemists... photosynthesis... create food energy from common objects? Lima bean. What does it do when attacked by spider mites? It releases a volatile chemical in the air that summons another insects that dine on the spider mites.. our idea of a pesticide is so crude so funny. So when people ask do you think your plants are conscious? Isn't it enough that they can eat sunlight and do these things?"
-Michael Pollan
I think you can make a case they are as advanced as we are. um you look skeptical. But when you think about it what does it mean to be a advanced creature, an advanced being? It all depends on what advanced you value. We value consciousness and toolmaking and book writing and the ability to give lectures. But by the yard stick of organic chemistry they are so far beyond us they have been evolving longer than we have just in another direction working to confront the same challenges here on earth.. especially challenges of reproduction and defense. the size of the human genome. The number of genes we have. estimate 1: 35K. A surprise.. scandalous consider a round worm has 20K how?! We were predicted at over 100K. Rice has 50K. Maybe not a fair standard for being advanced but good snapshot of complexity. Enormous respect for these plants. There sophistication. While we were nailing down consciousness and locomotion they were nailing down organic chemistry they got the arts of molecular seduction and defense. they are natures alchemists... photosynthesis... create food energy from common objects? Lima bean. What does it do when attacked by spider mites? It releases a volatile chemical in the air that summons another insects that dine on the spider mites.. our idea of a pesticide is so crude so funny. So when people ask do you think your plants are conscious? Isn't it enough that they can eat sunlight and do these things?"-Michael Pollan
