Lab Notes: Plants can hear you

Lab Notes: Plants can hear you

From The Science Show - Separate stories podcast by ABC Australia

June 3, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

This episode explores how plants can respond to sounds in their environment, featuring insights from Dr. Samarth Kulshrestha.

Plants are more aware of their surroundings then we give them credit for. A growing body of work is showing that plants can change themselves in response to different sounds. Dr Samarth Kulshrestha, a molecular biologist from the University of Canterbury, is one of these researchers, looking at the mechanisms behind plant senses. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more. Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au Featuring: Dr Kulshrestha, University of Canterbury Further information: The secret sensory life of plants: researchers are discovering how they see, hear, feel – and even remember Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Webb

Guest: Dr Samarth Kulshrestha

Topics covered

  • plant awareness
  • sound response
  • molecular biology
  • research
  • environment

Keywords

  • plants
  • sound
  • research
  • molecular biology
  • environment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Canterbury, ABC Australia

Places: Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Ngambri

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