About the Author

Paco Calvo is a professor of the philosophy of science and principal investigator at the Universidad de Murcia’s Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab) in Spain. Natalie Lawrence is a writer and illustrator with a PhD in the history of science, living in London.

Reviews

"Remarkable.… Calvo has a wonderfully infectious enthusiasm for his subject that makes this book, for all its complex science, a joy to read. He challenges us to set aside our ‘zoocentric’ perspective and to change our view of plants radically: from mechanisms akin to robots to complex organisms with a range of behaviours, responding to and anticipating their environments. In doing so, he has written a genuinely mind-expanding book."
*PD Smith - The Guardian*

"A fascinating description of how plants interact with the environment in myriad ways."
*Temple Grandin - New York Times Book Review*

"Provocative.… Science, at its best, progresses through a reciprocal interplay between speculation and experimentation. Calvo’s stimulating book draws us into that process."
*David George Haskell - Scientific American*

"[Paco] Calvo raises some fascinating questions."
*Barbara J. King - Washington Post*

"Planta Sapiens is [a] bold and brave paean to our planet’s ligneous, leafy kingdom. I mostly relished the intellectual interrogation, the maverick thinking, and add my voice to his call to think beyond our prejudices and our anthropocentric indoctrination."
*Jackie Higgins - Daily Telegraph*

"Planta Sapiens presents ‘fertile possibilities’ to the public and in doing so it has put science on notice. All plants are juggling to respond to climatic change. They are encoded to anticipate this, with their attentive neurobiochemistry driven by a helix that is so similar to that of the human family. Should we be surprised? No! We should be delighted with Professor Calvo’s seeding of scientific curiosity for the hope that it offers."
*Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of To Speak for the Trees*

"Deeply thought-provoking. Planta Sapiens is a mind-opening meditation about the inner lives of plants. Whether you come away convinced that plants are conscious, or not, this book will change—and enrich—the way you look at the green life all around you."
*Anil Seth, author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness*

"Mind-blowing.… This impressive addition to the growing literature on how plants experience the world will change how readers see the flora around them."
*Publishers Weekly, starred review*

"Are plants sentient?…Along with fascinating examples, Calvo devotes equal space to arguments with philosophers and fellow scientists over the meaning of intelligence. Readers will find it difficult to resist his claim that plants tailor their forms and experiences to their environments in a way that animals simply cannot.… Persuasive evidence for plant intelligence."
*Kirkus Reviews*