How plants feel: CBS News segment probes touch-sensitive plant science

CBS News is putting a spotlight on how plants feel, or at least how they appear to react, in a new video segment about plant responses to touch.

The segment says science has found that plants, despite having no brains, appear to have a system that reacts when they are touched. CBS News frames the idea through thigmomorphogenesis, the name for plants responding to outside stimulation.

Robert Krulwich and puppeteer Barnaby Dixon lead the piece, according to CBS News. The segment mixes the plant science with Dixon’s puppetry and, CBS says, turns the discussion toward a song.

What is thigmomorphogenesis?

Thigmomorphogenesis is the phenomenon of plants reacting to external stimuli, according to CBS News. In the segment, that idea is used to explain how plants can respond to touch even without brains.

CBS News describes the plant response as remarkable and says the science suggests something like a nervous system at work. The report does not say plants think or feel in the human sense, only that their bodies respond to contact.

Who appears in the CBS News plant segment?

• Robert Krulwich appears in the segment, according to CBS News.
• Barnaby Dixon, identified by CBS News as a puppeteer, also appears.
• The video is listed by CBS News with a runtime of 7 minutes and 10 seconds.

The short piece sits among CBS News’ video offerings and was presented as a science-minded feature rather than a breaking news report. Its hook is tidy and strange enough to grab any windowsill gardener: plants do not have brains, but CBS News says research shows they still react when the world presses in on them.

The result is a breezy explainer on a durable question: what, exactly, is going on when a plant responds to touch? CBS News’ answer centers on thigmomorphogenesis, with Krulwich and Dixon using the concept as a springboard for a more playful look at plant behavior.

This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.