Stefano Mancuso: The roots of plant intelligence

譯者: Lin Su-Wei(林書暐) 審譯者: Joyce Chou

Sometimes I go browsing

有次我瀏覽

[through] a very old magazine.

一本非常老舊的雜誌。

I found this observation test

裡面有一個觀察試驗

about the story of the ark.

是關於諾亞方舟的故事。

And the artist that drew this observation test

這位作者畫下此實驗的過程

did some errors, had some mistakes --

而這其中出現了幾個錯誤。

there are more or less 12 mistakes.

這裡至少出現了12處的錯誤。

Some of them are very easy.

有些錯誤非常明顯。

There is a funnel, an aerial part,

船上有個煙囪，就是這像天線的部分，

a lamp and clockwork key on the ark.

還有個照明燈和發條。

Some of them are about the animals, the number.

還有些錯誤是在動物身上。

But there is a much more fundamental mistake

這些都是整個方舟故事裡面

in the overall story of the ark

最常出現的基本錯誤，

that's not reported here.

我們不再多做說明。

And this problem is: where are the plants?

問題來了：怎麼都沒看到植物?

So now we have God

現在我們的上帝

that is going to submerge Earth permanently

將要永久性的把地球淹沒，

or at least for a very long period,

或說至少會淹沒很長的時間，

and no one is taking care of plants.

結果根本沒人關心植物。

Noah needed to take two of every kind of bird,

諾亞需要照顧任何成對的鳥類，

of every kind of animal,

任何成對的動物，

of every kind of creature that moves,

任何能"行走移動"的成對生物，

but no mention about plants.

但是根本沒關心到植物。

Why?

為什麼會這樣?

In another part of the same story,

這個故事的另一部分是說，

all the living creatures

當今所有生物，

are just the living creatures

都是當時方舟

that came out from the ark,

所保護生存下來的種類，

so birds, livestock and wild animals.

像是鳥、家畜、和各種野生動物。

Plants are not living creatures --

植物不規類在生物的範圍裡。

this is the point.

重點就在這裡。

That is a point that is not

這就是聖經裡面

coming out from the Bible,

沒有點到的地方，

but it's something that

因為聖經所說的內容

really accompanied humanity.

總是與人比較有關。

Let's have a look at this nice code

讓我們來看看另一個很棒的編碼圖

that is coming from a Renaissance book.

這來自文藝復興時期的一本書。

Here we have the description

這張圖是在描述

of the order of nature.

自然界的規律。

It's a nice description because it's starting from left --

這張圖美妙的地方在於，先從左手邊看起，

you have the stones --

世界先從石頭開始，

immediately after the stones, the plants

比石頭高階的是

that are just able to live.

能夠生長的植物。

We have the animals that are able to live and to sense,

再更高階的是能生長而且有知覺的各種動物，

and on the top of the pyramid,

在這金字塔的頂端，

there is the man.

就是我們人類。

This is not the common man.

這可不是一般人。

The "Homo studiosus" -- the studying man.

這是"會聆聽的智人"，一種會學習的人。

This is quite comforting

這對於跟我一樣的人來說

for people like me -- I'm a professor --

會感到挺欣慰的，因為我是個教授，

this to be over there on the top of creation.

我們自然而然就在這個頂端。

But it's something completely wrong.

但是這種概念是完全錯誤的。

You know very well about professors.

大家都知道教授不是這樣高高在上的。

But it's also wrong about plants,

這其中對植物的概念也是錯誤的，

because plants are not just able to live;

因為植物不僅僅只是會生長而已，

they are able to sense.

它們也是有知覺的。

They are much more sophisticated

他們能感受到的知覺

in sensing than animals.

甚至比動物還要更多。

Just to give you an example,

讓我舉個例子，

every single root apex

每一個植物根尖(root apex)

is able to detect and to monitor

能夠同時且持續地

concurrently and continuously

偵測與監控

at least 15 different chemical

至少15種不同的

and physical parameters.

化學和物理現象。

And they also are able to show and to exhibit

它們也能展現

such a wonderful and complex behavior

一種美妙且複雜的行為

that can be described just with the term of intelligence.

這種行為能夠被我們用"智慧"來形容。

Well, but this is something --

這些行為，

this underestimation of plants is something

這些被忽視的植物所表現的行為，

that is always with us.

其實都一直在我們眼前展現。

Let's have a look at this short movie now.

讓我們先來看一部短片。

We have David Attenborough.

這位是大衛・艾登堡(David Attenborough)。

Now David Attenborough is really a plant lover;

大衛・艾登堡是位喜好植物的人。

he did some of the most beautiful movies

他拍攝了許多

about plant behavior.

有關植物行為的影片。

Now, when he speaks about plants,

他針對植物所作的介紹，

everything is correct.

大致上都是正確的。

When he speaks about animals,

當他介紹到動物的時候，

[he] tends to remove the fact

他會把植物的存在

that plants exist.

給遺忘掉。

The blue whale,

他說藍鯨，

the biggest creature that exists on the planet --

是當今地球上最龐大的生物。

that is wrong, completely wrong.

這是錯的，大錯特錯。

The blue whale, it's a dwarf

藍鯨，實際上是個小矮人，

if compared with the real biggest creature

如果牠真的和地球上

that exists on the planet --

當今最大的生物來做比較的話，

that is, this wonderful,

就是這個，令人驚嘆的生物，

magnificent Sequoiadendron giganteum.

雄偉的世界爺(又名巨杉，Sequoiadendron giganteum)。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

And this is a living organism

這是個活生生的有機體

that has a mass of at least 2,000 tons.

重量至少2000頓。

Now, the story

植物

that plants are some low-level organisms

是低等有機體的這件事

has been formalized

已經被亞里斯多德

many times ago by Aristotle,

傳頌了很長一段時間，

that in "De Anima" --

在他所著的靈魂錄(De Anima)這本書裡，

that is a very influential book for the Western civilization --

這本書在西方文化影響深遠，

wrote that the plants are on the edge

這本書裡提到植物

between living and not living.

是介於生命體和非生命體之間。

They have just a kind of very low-level soul.

植物們擁有非常低等級的靈魂。

It's called the vegetative soul,

這稱之為植物靈魂(vegetative soul)，

because they lack movement,

因為植物不會移動，

and so they don't need to sense.

它們也沒有知覺。

Let's see.

看看這個。

Okay, some of the movements of the plants are very well-known.

沒錯，有些植物的反應動作是眾所皆知的。

This is a very fast movement.

這個植物的反應動作非常快速。

This is a Dionaea, a Venus fly trap

這是一種食蟲植物，捕蠅草

hunting snails --

正在補食蝸牛的畫面。

sorry for the snail.

我為蝸牛先生默哀。

This has been something that has been refused for centuries,

有些事情被否認了好幾個世紀，

despite the evidence.

即使證據就在身邊。

No one can say that the plants were able to eat an animal,

沒人認為植物能吃動物，

because it was against the order of nature.

因為這違反自然界的定律。

But plants are also able

但實際上，植物

to show a lot of movement.

是能夠展現許多動作的。

Some of them are very well known, like the flowering.

有些是眾所皆知的，像是開花過程。

It's just a question to use some techniques

這需要一些手法才能顯現，

like the time lapse.

像是用間歇性拍攝(time lapse)。

Some of them are much more sophisticated.

有一些植物的運動是非常複雜的。

Look at this young bean

像是這個初生的豆苗，

that is moving to catch the light every time.

它葉片每次的移動都是為了能獲取陽光。

And it's really so graceful;

非常優美。

it's like a dancing angel.

像是個在跳舞的天使。

They are also able to play --

植物們也是可以表演的。

they are really playing.

瞧瞧這群正在表演的。

These are young sunflowers,

這些是一群初生的向日葵，

and what they are doing

它們正在做的

cannot be described

並沒辦法用

with any other terms than playing.

任合表演形式的名詞來描述。

They are training themselves,

它們自己訓練自己，

as many young animals do,

就像許多年幼的動物一樣，

to the adult life

要順利長大成年，

where they will be called to track the sun

它們就必須一整天

all the day.

都追著太陽跑。

They are able to respond to gravity, of course,

當然，它們也對地心引力有反應，

so the shoots are growing

這些幼苗的發芽成長

against the vector of gravity

就是在對抗地心引力

and the roots toward the vector of gravity.

而它的根是順著地心引力生長。

But they are also able to sleep.

同時，植物也會睡眠。

This is one, Mimosa pudica.

這是一株含羞草。

So during the night,

在夜晚時分，

they curl the leaves

它們會把葉片捲起

and reduce the movement,

並減少動作，

and during the day, you have the opening of the leaves --

直到白天，它們才會再打開葉片，

there is much more movement.

然後做更頻繁的活動。

This is interesting

這非常有趣，

because this sleeping machinery,

因為，它們的睡眠機制，

it's perfectly conserved.

能夠非常完美的保護能量的流失。

It's the same in plants, in insects

植物在這方面的作用，

and in animals.

跟昆蟲、或是其他動物都一樣。

And so if you need to study this sleeping problem,

若想研究此類的睡眠問題，

it's easy to study on plants, for example,

從植物身上做研究

than in animals

比在動物身上做更為容易，

and it's much more easy even ethically.

而且也不會有道德上的疑慮。

It's a kind of vegetarian

在別人看來，

experimentation.

這不過是蔬菜實驗罷了。

Plants are even able to communicate --

植物彼此之間還會對話。

they are extraordinary communicators.

它們有著非常特殊的溝通器具。

They communicate with other plants.

它們會和其他種植物溝通。

They are able to distinguish kin and non-kin.

它們能夠區分誰是近親誰不是近親。

They communicate

它們會和植物溝通外

with plants of other species

還會跟其他物種溝通，

and they communicate with animals

植物們會製造出一種化學物質

by producing chemical volatiles,

來和其他動物做交談，

for example, during the pollination.

舉例來說，就是在受粉的時候。

Now with the pollination, it's a very serious issue for plants,

受粉這件事情，對植物而言是非常嚴肅的事情，

because they move the pollen from one flower to the other,

因為它們必須把花粉從這朵花移到另一朵花上，

yet they cannot move from one flower to the other.

但是它們自己做不來這件事情。

So they need a vector --

所以，植物們需要一個媒介，

and this vector,

這個媒介，

it's normally an animal.

就是動物。

Many insects

許多昆蟲

have been used by plants as vectors

被植物們當作一種媒介

for the transport of the pollination,

來傳遞花粉，

but not just insects; even birds, reptiles,

但不僅僅是昆蟲，像是鳥類、爬蟲類

and mammals like bats rats

甚至像是蝙蝠鼠這種哺乳動物，

are normally used for the transportation of the pollen.

也會被當作傳遞花粉的媒介。

This is a serious business.

這真的是一件嚴肅的事。

We have the plants that are giving to the animals

植物會分泌一種甜甜的物質

a kind of sweet substance --

用以吸引動物們，

very energizing --

給與動物們動力

having in change this transportation of the pollen.

去做傳播花粉的這份工作。

But some plants are manipulating animals,

有些植物是直接操縱動物，

like in the case of orchids

像是這種蘭花

that promise sex and nectar

為了傳遞花粉

and give in change nothing

就會透過性和花蜜的誘惑

for the transportation of the pollen.

讓動物們甘願為它做這件事情。

Now, there is a big problem

現在，在我們看過這些行為後，

behind all this behavior that we have seen.

一個大問題就浮現出來了。

How is it possible to do this without a brain?

它們怎麼可能會沒有大腦呢?

We need to wait until 1880,

我們先回到1880年，

when this big man,

當時有位大人物，

Charles Darwin,

查爾斯・達爾文(Charles Darwin)，

publishes a wonderful, astonishing book

出了一本非常棒、非常精彩的書，

that starts a revolution.

這本書也引起了一場革命。

The title is "The Power of Movement in Plants."

這本書名為：植物運動的力量(The Power of Movement in Plants)。

No one was allowed to speak about movement in plants

在達爾文之前，

before Charles Darwin.

沒人會想討論有關植物的運動。

In his book,

他的這本書，

assisted by his son, Francis --

由他兒子法蘭西(Francis)助力完成，

who was the first professor of plant physiology in the world, in Cambridge --

他兒子是世界上第一位，任職於劍橋大學的植物心理學教授，

they took into consideration every single movement

在這500頁的書中，詳細記載了

for 500 pages.

植物每一個動作的含意。

And in the last paragraph of the book,

書的最後一段講述中，

it's a kind of stylistic mark,

是一種語體標記(stylistic mark)，

because normally Charles Darwin stored,

因為達爾文本身經常使用這種寫法，

in the last paragraph of a book,

書中最後的這段評論，

the most important message.

是一則非常重要的訊息。

He wrote that,

他這麼寫著：

"It's hardly an exaggeration

"毫不誇張的說

to say that the tip of the radical

植物幼根的頂端

acts like the brain

就像是

of one of the lower animals."

有著低等動物的大腦。"

This is not a metaphor.

這不是在隱喻什麼。

He wrote some very interesting letters to one of his friends

他寫了許多非常有趣的信件給一位朋友，

who was J.D. Hooker, or at that time, president of the Royal Society,

在當時是英國皇家學會主席的虎克(J.D. Hooker)，

so the maximum scientific authority in Britain

他對著英國最高科學權威人物

speaking about the brain in the plants.

說明有關植物的頭腦這件事。

Now, this is a root apex

畫面上是個植物根尖

growing against a slope.

它正在對抗著這斜坡。

So you can recognize this kind of movement,

各位可以看出它的這種移動方式，

the same movement that worms, snakes

就跟幼蟲、蛇一樣，

and every animal

甚至是跟任何

that are moving on the ground without legs

不用雙足在地面移動的動物一樣，

is able to display.

他們都是這樣。

And it's not an easy movement

這種移動方式可不容易，

because, to have this kind of movement,

因為，要做出這種動作，

you need to move different regions of the root

在沒有大腦的情形下，

and to synchronize these different regions

必須要移動根部的不同區域，

without having a brain.

同時要做出同步一致性。

So we studied the root apex

所以我們開始研究植物尖根這個部份，

and we found that there is a specific region

我們發現這部分有個非常特別的區域，

that is here, depicted in blue --

就在這裡，用藍色標示的地方，

that is called the "transition zone."

稱為轉變區(transition zone)。

And this region, it's a very small region --

這個區域非常微小。

it's less than one millimeter.

小於1公厘。

And in this small region

在這個微小的區域

you have the highest consumption

是植物體內

of oxygen in the plants

氧氣消耗量最大的地方，

and more important,

更重要的是，

you have these kinds of signals here.

這個區域會發出一些訊息。

The signals that you are seeing here are action potential,

這些訊息會出現動作電位(action potential)，

are the same signals

這種訊息

that the neurons of my brain, of our brain,

和人類大腦神經元在交換資訊時所發出的

use to exchange information.

是一樣的。

Now we know that a root apex

現在我們知道植物尖根

has just a few hundred cells

僅擁有數百個細胞

that show this kind of feature,

就能展現這種特質

but we know how big

我們了解到

the root apparatus of a small plant, like a plant of rye.

植物尖根在小小的植物體內佔了多大的地位。

We have almost

以一株黑麥為例，它就有著將近

14 million roots.

1400萬支根。

We have 11 and a half million

而且擁有1150萬個

root apex

植物尖根

and a total length of 600 or more kilometers

總長度超過600公里

and a very high surface area.

涵蓋著非常廣大的區域。

Now let's imagine

想像一下

that each single root apex

每一株植物尖根

is working in network with all the others.

與其它尖根共同在這個網絡中運作著。

Here were have on the left, the Internet

現今網際網路就像左手邊的這張圖，

and on the right, the root apparatus.

而右邊是植物的根部圖。

They work in the same way.

它們運作的方式相當類似。

They are a network

這就像是

of small computing machines,

有著小型電腦的網絡

working in networks.

在這裡同時運作著。

And why are they so similar?

為什麼這會非常相似?

Because they evolved

因為這二者會這樣發展

for the same reason:

是有相同的幾個理由：

to survive predation.

在捕食中生存下來。

They work in the same way.

這運作方式是相同的。

So you can remove 90 percent of the root apparatus

你可以把植物90%的根部移除

and the plants [continue] to work.

植物仍然可以繼續生長。

You can remove 90 percent of the Internet

你可以把90%的網路都斷絕，

and it is [continuing] to work.

但網路還是會不斷的自行運作。

So, a suggestion

所以，對於人們在網絡中工作

for the people working with networks:

的一個啟示就是：

plants are able

對於發展網絡，

to give you good suggestions

植物本身也能

about how to evolve networks.

給予一個很好的示範。

And another possibility

另一個可能性

is a technological possibility.

是有關技術方面的可能性。

Let's imagine

想像一下

that we can build robots

我們創造機器人的靈感來源

and robots that are inspired by plants.

也能夠來自植物。

Until now,

一直到現在，

the man was inspired

人類在機械方面的的創意來源

just by man or the animals

不是來自人類本身

in producing a robot.

就是來自動物。

We have the animaloid --

我們最常運用的是仿動物，

and the normal robots inspired by animals,

一般機器人(robots)靈感來源是來自動物

insectoid, so on.

昆蟲等等。

We have the androids

而像是人形機器人(androids)

that are inspired by man.

的創造靈感來源是人類。

But why have we not any plantoid?

為什麼就沒有仿植物的東西呢

Well, if you want to fly,

若我們想到飛，

it's good that you look at birds --

最棒的範本就是鳥，

to be inspired by birds.

飛行的靈感來源也是鳥。

But if you want to explore soils,

不過，若想要探勘某地，

or if you want to colonize

或是想要拓墾

new territory,

新的土地，

to best thing that you can do is to be inspired by plants

最棒的仿效對象就是植物，

that are masters in doing this.

它們非常擅長於此道。

We have another possibility

另一種可能性是，

we are working [on] in our lab,

我們能夠在實驗室裡面

[which] is to build hybrids.

開發出所謂的"混合體"。

It's much more easy to build hybrids.

這種混合體的開發非常簡單。

Hybrid means it's something

混合體是一種

that's half living and half machine.

半生命半機械的物體。

It's much more easy to work with plants

要開發這樣的物體，利用植物會比

than with animals.

動物更容易。

They have computing power,

它們會有計算能力。

they have electrical signals.

它們會發出電子信號。

The connection with the machine is much more easy,

開發這種機械更為容易，

much more even ethically possible.

而且不用考慮到道德問題。

And these are three possibilities

有鑒於上述的三種可能性

that we are working on

我們正在努力於

to build hybrids,

混合體的開發，

driven by algae

這些機械能透過藻類運作，

or by the leaves at the end,

或是透過葉片的化學作用運作，

by the most, most powerful parts of the plants,

或是透過植物身上最有利的部位

by the roots.

根部來運作。

Well, thank you for your attention.

感謝今天各位的參與。

And before I finish,

在我結束之前，

I would like to reassure that no snails were harmed

我想再次強調

in making this presentation.

沒有任何蝸牛因為這次演講而受傷。

Thank you.

感謝各位。

(Applause)

(掌聲)