Touch Sensitive Glowing Plants

Well spank me and call me Tiberius! I always loved the scene in Avatar when they are running through the jungle and their footsteps causes the plants on the ground to self-illuminate. I would always think how cool that would be to observe something like this in nature, here on earth. Well, it may actually be possible, sort of.

US scientists have engineered a plant which glows when touched, creating a unique window into how plants sense being handled. Plant geneticist Janet Braam, and her team at Rice University in Texas, discovered that plants have genes that respond to touch 10 years ago.

Curious thing about this whole bit is that this article dates back to Wednesday, 17 May, 2000.


The article goes on to say:

She showed how touching plants could even affect their physiology. "It was rather serendipitous," recalls Professor Braam. "We were looking at the effect on these genes which were turning on when we applied a hormone. Then we realised that it wasn't the hormone, it was the application of the hormone.
"It was the act of touching the plant that was turning the genes on."

This is absolutely astounding. I mean, the spiritual side of me always knew that plants are aware and can be "emotionally" affected by humans and their interactions with plants, but this is just insane.

If only there was a way to tap in to the "brain" of a plant in order to find out what it "knows."

Check out the article here


....and for an even weirder, somewhat unrelated read, check out this article dating back to Tuesday, 14 September, 1999 on genetically modified florescent potatoes that emit a "green light" when they need to be watered. Both of these articles look like they should have been dated between 2009 and now....year 2000 seemed like such a primitive time compared to where we are now.

I was curious as to how much ground this research has gained in the past ten years, but a rather lazy google search turned up no real results.

I have nothing else to add really, just thought I would share these interesting articles with the curious community that is ATS.

Nice find, thanks for posting. Avatar plants + 1.
Now all we need is for them to genetically engineer
spiral plants that go "whoomf" when u touch them and
network protocols into the DNA and we'll all have free
in'tree'net access!
S&F

Oh no, the poor plants! Time for the vegetarians to stop eating them, they sense it!

Haha nice find! (Y)

Tho the one with potatoes, I could think it has something to that the lack of water makes them glow, more of a reaction than a feeling. Like when you forget to water your plants at home they over time turn brown and die.

Tho the luominus plants are amazing!

Cool find!!

S+F For your Avatar haha Hilarious!

yesterday I was wondering "when there will be posted a theorie with references to the movie avatar on this board", didn't expect it to happen this fast

Very cool. Also, I read the title wrong in a funny way at first. Touch sensitive glowing pants would probably not have very many real-world applications, though.

Could be a good burgular device

I always believed plants, trees and such are living and sensitive.
Let's TREEHUG!

Great find


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reply to post by sepermeru


Made my morning.

Thanks for the laugh, chap

reply to post by grindhouzer


Haha thanks, I quite enjoy it as well.

touch sensitive glowing plants NOT a marketable item?! Hello? Biological lighting devices anyone?

that would make some cool landscaping for a house