Scientists have claimed that plants actually ‘scream’, or more accurately sound like bubble wrap popping, when they’re feeling stressed or need some water – and people had no idea
Video Unavailable
Tel Aviv University researchers share audio of plants ‘screaming’
Scientists have revealed that plants actually scream every time they are cut or dehydrated in a landmark study that may have you convinced they’ve been pulled straight out of Harry Potter.
The project, led by Israel-based Tel Aviv University, claimed this unbelievable shriek almost sounds like popping bubble wrap and is comparable to the volume of a normal human conversation. “Even in a quiet field, there are actually sounds that we don’t hear, and those sounds carry information,” said senior author Lilach Hadany, an evolutionary biologist and theoretician. “There are animals that can hear these sounds, so there is the possibility that a lot of acoustic interaction is occurring.”
As part of the study, scientists examined how tomato and tobacco plants responded to stress both within a soundproofed acoustic chamber and a much noisier greenhouse. This primarily involved not watering the plants for several days and cutting their stems, before using a special recorder to document the differences.
Sounds were inaudible to the human ear thanks to their high frequency, but recorders noted that a single plant will release between 30 to 50 of these pops per hour, if it’s feeling stressed. Although this occurred at random intervals, the team used the data to train a model that can now identify unhappy vegetation fairly easily.
And this isn’t just limited to tobacco and tomatoes either – scientists also noted screams produced by cactus, wheat and grape plants, among others. “When tomatoes are not stressed at all, they are very quiet,” said Professor Hadany. “Plants interact with insects and other animals all the time, and many of these organisms use sound for communication, so it would be very suboptimal for plants to not use sound at all.”
The ground-breaking Cell Press paper, released just last year, has given rise to countless baffled comments online with many in disbelief that greenery around us could really be shrieking all of the time. Commenting on a TikTok video about the project (@getonthefind), one person joked: “And this is exactly why aliens haven’t come to Earth.”
One also added: “Vegans your dinner is crying,” as another chimed in: “Imagine 2054 News… Bitcoin Lawsuit was filed by Arizona Plants Community.”
If this wasn’t shocking enough, scientists also claim the research has raised a possibility for humans to eavesdrop or even communicate with plants one day in the future. Professor Hadany added: “So now that we know that plants do emit sounds, the next question is – who might be listening?
“We are currently investigating the responses of other organisms, both animals and plants, to these sounds, and we’re also exploring our ability to identify and interpret the sounds in completely natural environments.”
Do you have a story to tell? Get in touch at [email protected]
