Lionel

(Platform Kanal summer lab in FoAM's studio)

• Visit at the VUB library to identify interesting reference books about plant physiology:
  

° Biology of Plants, 7th edition (2005), P. Raven, R. Evert, S. Eichhorn - W. H. Freeman & co Publishers
Very general and pedagogic, lot of pictures. Botany, histology, a bit of molecular biology. Reader-friendly, nice to browse randomly (essays, topics, etc.). But: ugly hardcover, and 7th edition seems to be the last one.
° Plant physiology, 4th edition (2006), L. Taiz & E. Zeiger - Sinauer Associates, Inc., Publishers
More experiment-oriented. A lot about plant development and metabolic pathways. Graphs, molecular structures. 5th edition released in 2010.
° Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Plants (2009), B. Buchanan, W. Gruissem, R. Jones - American Society of Plant Physiologists
Very good and exhaustive reference book. Very molecular-, protein- and biochemistry-oriented. Big: 1367 pages!

Further reading of previously mentioned articles and books

(General meeting at FoAM)

• Futher investigation about 'plant neurobiology'
  

° Struik et al (2008) Plant neurobiology and green plant intelligence: science, metaphors and nonsense
An intelligent, precise and critical reflection about the subject, written by researchers that are not part of the 'Baluska & Mancuso friend's group'.
° Koziolek et al (2003) Transient knockout of photosynthesis mediated by electrical signals
In this paper, the authors relate an experiment to measure electrical signals and other parameters in Mimosa pudica

• 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.