Friday, April 20, 2012

The Secret Power of Plants

Today, I found an article that talks about plant intelligence.  Essentially, plants are naturally hardwired to survive.  They also work together to fight off insects; and will share the nutrients in the ground with plants of their own species while greedily growing in the presence of 'strangers'. 
I read that article, and the one it linked off of.  It made me think of genetically altered varieties.  What happens when we begin injecting DNA with new material?  Do the plant messages get along?  Do they send conflicting messages?  How far can it go? 
Food for thought.  Plants have adapted at a natural pace; making peace with their DNA in their own way over the past millenia.  They've created a variety of defense mechanisms that we can only begin to think to look for and learn about.  How can we study the repercussions of things we don't know were there to begin with? 

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