28: Dr. Monica Gagliano on How Plants Know Things We Don’t

About this episode

Dr. Monica Gagliano discusses the surprising intelligence of plants and their ability to communicate and teach.

Plants are our ancient teachers, whispering and nudging… if only we’d listen. Dr. Monica Gagliano is an evolutionary ecologist who has turned the green world into something wonderfully surprising. Her research reveals plants that listen, remember, make choices and even teach one another. Some can sense eclipses before they happen. Others communicate in ways we’re only just beginning to catch up with. In 2008, Monica did something bold: she stepped out of academia and followed her curiosity into the forest, literally. Blending scientific experimentation with Amazonian plant ceremonies and the guidance of shamans, she helped spark the field now known as plant intelligence. Since then, her work has captured imaginations around the world, appearing in The New York Times and the National Geographic.  In this episode, we explore: ✦ Pushing back against the scientific status quo ✦ Letting nature show you what it knows ✦ Welcoming indigenous plant teachings into scientific practice ✦ Paying attention as a joyful act of devotion Monica invites us into a playful and daring question: what do plants actually know… and what might they be trying to tell us? Chapters…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Monica Gagliano

Topics covered

• plant intelligence
• scientific experimentation
• indigenous teachings
• nature communication
• ecology

Keywords

• plants
• intelligence
• ecology
• indigenous knowledge
• scientific research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times, National Geographic

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