Lionel

• About the measurements of action potentials in plants:
  

Webpage by A.G. Volkov about the electrochemistry of plant life.

* There is a journal for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. Beyond a one-year embargo, new articles are in Open Access (Delayed open access journal).

* New libarynth page about plant neurobiology

* New libarynth page with a list of some Open Access Journals

* Read the article of Peter W. Barlow (2008)

* Wikipedia search about: convergent evolution, exaptation, morphogen, metamerism

* Search in the scientific literature about “plant neurobiology”
° Peter W. Barlow (2008) Reflections on ‘plant neurobiology’ [review article]
° Eric Davies (2004) New functions for electrical signals in plants [commentary]

* Short research meeting with Nik & Maja

* Libarynth research diary

* T. McKenna, Archaic Revival (1991, book), p 219-225
° Central idea: plants as inspirational model for solving global problems. Phytomimicry in industry, politics, personal life.
° According to McKenna, the “lessons” of plants are:
- societal/politics: feminization of culture
- personal: inwardness, cooperation (symbiosis)
- ecology: phytoremediation, biodiversity
- industry: recycling, H2-economy, photovoltaic, nanotech
° McKenna hopes a change of paradigm. Idea of the “rebirth of the [vegetal] Goddess”. Spiritual or symbolic idea of the mother-earth, Gaia, etc.
° Suggests that the use of psychedelic plants opens channels of direct communication with this Gaia.
° McKenna speaks about “planetary purpose”. Intentionality. (link to be made with Naturalism and Intelligent Design)

* Wikipedia search about:
New Age Gaian, James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis, Noepaganism, Pseudoscience, Falsifiability, Biopunk

* Some books found in the library:
° Nature, technology and the sacred, Bronislaw Szerszynski, 2005. About the idea of the “disenchantment of the world”, from a philosphy of science point of view.
° Cosmicomics, Italo Calvino, 1965. Short stories. Science-like narratives, universe as a cosmic joke.
° Psychedelic reimagined, Thomas Lyttle, ed., 1999. Collection of articles about psychedelic substances and practices.

* Start meeting with Nik & Maja

* Research starting points:
° Reach a broad spectrum going from science < —- > pseudo-science
° Special attention to stories. Stories made to justify some logical shortcuts in speudo-scientific demonstrations, stories on the side of classical research, etc.
° Think of experiment to test some pseudo-scientific claims (plants grow faster if you speak to them). Those experiments are not meant to be realized.
° Make an overview of the research in the field of plant-plant communication. Neurobotany, sensory ecology, chemical communication between plants, etc.
° Speculative science: what do we need to build a translator to interfer with those signals?

* Literature starting points:
° Experiments of George Lawrence (~1950). Onion attached to a telescope, and other strange experiments.
° HPI paper on the Lybarinth
° Sci-fi writer K. Schröder. Idea of thalience, switched subjectivity. Idea that the value of a model is not only determined by the fact it is true or not, but also by its ability to generate other models and ideas (“heuristicity”).
° T. McKenna, Archaic Revival, Chapter about plan/plant/planet. Phytomimicry and techno-gaianism.
° P. Stamets, Mycelium Running, global considerations about mycelium as nature's internet.