By and large, most research seeking to attribute a mental life to plants has been discredited over the years. Yet new research coming out of the University of Western Australia shows that while plants may not be able to think, they are—in a way—able to feel.

The UWA researchers arrived at this conclusion after they noticed that a change in the expression of thousands of plant genes occurred just minutes after they were sprayed with water. These genetic changes were short-lived (most reverted to their normal state within half an hour), suggesting that plants are highly in touch with their immediate environment and capable of dynamic responses to changes in their surroundings.

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