pediatric housecalls Robert R. Jarrett M.D. M.B.A. FAAP

Do Plants Have Brains?

Neuroscientist Greg Gage, the co-founder of “back-yard brains,” says his mission is to train the next generation of neuroscientists by taking graduate level neuroscience research equipment and making it available to kids in high schools and middle schools. In this talk he begins by asking “what has a brain” and goes from there with demonstrations that will challenge your preconceptions.

Neuroscientist Greg Gage—Plants and Brains
Co-founder of “Backyard Brain”

Perhaps you are one of the million and a half people who’ve already watched this video on YouTube about brains and plants—it did go viral after all.

So, what do you think now that you’ve watched the video? Do plants have brains? Greg showed that plants can move when they decide they want to by creating electronic action potentials just like the heart of humans.

He showed that plants can move when they want to see the sun better, when they are touched and when they find something to eat. And, he showed that some of them can actually count and even “talk” to other plants using their action potentials. Does that mean that they have a “brain?”