The Light Eaters Audiobook By Zoë Schlanger cover art

The Light Eaters

The New Science of Plant Intelligence

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The Light Eaters

By: Zoë Schlanger
Narrated by: Zoë Schlanger
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About this listen

'teeming with fascinating and enlightening insights' OBSERVER

‘Plant lovers will find much of interest in Schlanger’s inspiring tale of where her curious mind has led her’ NATURE

‘Captivating’ THE GUARDIAN

‘It’s rare that you read a book that makes you want to grab people to tell them what it’s about, but this is one of them’ DAILY MAIL

Look at the green organism across the room or through the window: the potted plant, or the grass or a tree. Think how a life spent constantly growing yet rooted in a single spot comes with tremendous challenges. To meet them, plants have come up with some of the most creative methods for surviving of any living thing – us included. Many are so ingenious that they seem nearly impossible.

Did you know plants can communicate when they are being eaten, allowing nearby plants to bolster their defences? They move and that movement stops when they are anaesthetised. They also use electricity for internal communication. They can hear the sounds of caterpillars eating. Plants can remember the last time they have been visited by a bee and how many times they have been visited – so they have a concept of time and can count. Plants can not only communicate with each other, they can also communicate with other species of plants and animals, allowing them to manipulate animals to defend or fertilise them.

So look again at the potted plant, or the grass or the tree and wonder: are plants intelligent?

Or perhaps ask an even more fundamental question: are they conscious?

The Light Eaters will completely redefine how you think about plants. Packed with the most amazing stories of the life of plants it will open your eyes to the extraordinary green life forms we share the planet with.

©2024 Zoë Schlanger (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
Biological Sciences Botany & Plants Ecosystems & Habitats Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would say its definitelyin my top 3 reads for this year. Though the science is still in it's infancy, the evidence presented through out is fascinating and can definitely change the way you think about the world. Do be warned that the presentation is a bit more flowery than most scientific literature, but the content itself is well worth the read. The author's passion on every topic covered is evident and comes through well in her narration. I look forward to seeing what this area of botany uncovers in future and hope that this book gets more finding into the field.

Thought provoking!

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