Scientists Can Make Plants Scream

Ananova ^ | 11-23-2001

[blam]

Scientist can make plants scream

A German physics researcher is making plants scream.

University of Bonn scientist Ralph Gaebler uses a special sensor to register plant gas emissions.

When under stress, plants give off increased amounts of ethylene gas. The sensor translates the gas concentration into noise.

The German newspaper Express reports Mr Gaebler demonstrated the method by cutting a leaf off an orchid, which caused a piercing scream.

He said: "The orchid cannot run away, so this is her way of complaining about such mean treatment."

He caused the same effects by infecting a cucumber with mildew.

Mr Gaebler says his machine frequently registers 'screams' coming from fruit baskets.

"Apples naturally give off lots of ethylene gas. If there are any bananas in the basket, they will quickly turn brown from it," he added.

Story filed: 09:53 Friday 23rd November 2001

[blam]

I read something similar to this years ago in a book titled:"The Secret Life Of Plants." In that book, this was called 'the Baxter effect' after the guy who did the test.

[SamAdams76]

Now that we have proven that plants are capable of suffering, does this mean that vegetarians are now going to have to starve to death?

[Mulder]

And they still want us to believe that a fetus doesn't feel any pain?

[Cool Guy]

Bump :)

[PoorMuttly]

This man has WAY too much time on his hands.

Wanna really hear a scream...wire up a donut!

[Free the USA]

To claim that plants react to stress is true but to translate that as a scream or recognition of pain is a distortion.

[Mulder]

Now that we have proven that plants are capable of suffering, does this mean that vegetarians are now going to have to starve to death?

LOL!

[Senator Pardek]

Scientists Can Make Plants Scream

I guess they've never heard a Led Zep bootleg.

[mlocher]

LOL!!! -- of course, there is always fruit. do you think a vegetarian who now only eats fruit would touch a tomato?

[operation clinton cleanup]

I have had millions of dead leaves falling on my lawn for the past few weeks, never made a wimper.

[blam]

"I guess they've never heard a Led Zep bootleg."

Ah, you must speak of Robert?

[mlocher]

you know, i saw the professor have a lobster talk to the cucumber...

[kitkat]

He said: "The orchid cannot run away, so this is her way of complaining about such mean treatment."

Why do I see this professor with a very evil, satisfied smirk on his face when he says this?

[jmp702]

[k2blader]

It'd be interesting to see how much this "scientist" gets paid to measure plant flatus.

[Goodness Gracious]

Now that we have proven that plants are capable of suffering, does this mean that vegetarians are now going to have to starve to death? I've always felt that vegetarians were particularly cruel. I mean, at least animals can run, swim or fly away to avoid becoming a meal, but a plant just has to sit there and wait to be harvested.

[ChemistCat]

"If trees could scream, would we still cut them down? Well, we might, if they screamed all the time for no reason." --Deep Thoughts by Jim Handy, Saturday Night Live.

[blam]

"I mean, at least animals can run, swim or fly away to avoid becoming a meal, but a plant just has to sit there and wait to be harvested."

I have actually given some thought to this subject. I'm puzzled why anything would evolve to that situation.

[JoeSchem]

He would be a German!