Sunrise Senior College is pleased to welcome back Dr. Eric Jones as he tells us how plants communicate. Can plants “talk”? Well for some time now it has been well documented that plants do communicate with others of their own kind and indeed, with non-plants through chemical messages. They release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air when damaged to warn nearby plants of threats and use underground mycorrhizal fungal networks to share nutrients and warnings with other plants, even those that are not directly connected by roots.
More recent studies have suggested that plants may indeed communicate in myriad other modes. It appears too that plant communication is far more nuanced than previously described. One result of this research is that plants may exhibit what can be described as consciousness based on Integrated Information Theory - a framework for describing consciousness in non-human systems. During this course, Eric will examine the evidence for plant communication and how that relates to the concept of plant consciousness.
Instructor: Dr. Eric Jones is the Associate Professor of Botany at UMM and teaches an introductory course in bioethics, where concepts of consciousness and moral status are key concepts.
Class Information: This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom. The instructor will be in person to teach this class.
All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant. The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms. Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible. SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.
IMPORTANT: See Below
“Sunrise Senior College does not endorse any appeal or representation made by a presenter, non-profit organization or business during an SSC presentation. SSC members attending the presentations may wish to pursue additional involvement with the organization or presenter based on the material that was presented and in doing so, they are acting on their own and not as part of SSC.”
This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $20.00 fee.
Important: If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class.
Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may occur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.