How We KnowAnswer
Why Can We Read Mammoth DNA but Not Dinosaur DNA?
A frozen mammoth tooth can hold readable DNA. A dinosaur fossil can preserve the shape of a bone for far longer. Here’s why those are different feats.
THE QUESTION LIBRARY HOW WE KNOW
Can Plants Sense a Caterpillar Chewing?
A caterpillar’s bite makes a leaf vibrate. In a lab experiment, those tiny movements changed how the plant responded to later feeding.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Yes, in a laboratory experiment, thale cress responded to vibrations caused by caterpillars chewing its leaves. Researchers replayed recorded vibrations directly through a leaf. Later, when caterpillars fed, plants exposed to the chewing vibrations showed a stronger response in some defense chemicals. The experiment measured how a plant responded to movement in its tissues.
- A device replayed real chewing vibrations directly through a leaf.
- Exposure changed some chemical responses to later feeding.
- The wind and leafhopper vibrations tested did not prime the same anthocyanin response.
About this picture
Original AI-generated illustration for God Plays Dice. The golden curves suggest vibrations traveling through the leaf.
WHERE THE EVIDENCE STANDS
How sure are we?
- Leaf-borne chewing vibrations can change later defense chemistry in thale cress.The experiment compared several vibration treatments and measured chemical responses.
- Does the vibration response reduce feeding damage outdoors?The cited experiment measured plant chemistry in the laboratory.
- The chewing experiment establishes that the plant consciously hears.The researchers measured movement and chemical responses rather than subjective experience.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW YET
How plants detect the chewing pattern and how much the response protects them outdoors remain open questions.
WHAT WOULD CHANGE THIS ANSWER
Outdoor experiments that isolate chewing vibrations and measure leaf damage or caterpillar growth would show whether the response protects the plant in the wild.
A caterpillar takes a bite, and the leaf moves a little. That movement can travel through the plant. Researchers wanted to know whether those vibrations could change how the plant responds when it’s eaten.
THE LONG ANSWER
THE LONG ANSWER · ABOUT 2 MINUTES
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Keep asking
Do animals have feelings like we do?
There is strong scientific support for conscious experience in other mammals and birds, and a realistic possibility in many other animals, including octopuses.
New here?
God Plays Dice answers big questions in plain words, with sources and one of six honest labels.
Words worth knowing (3)
- Thale cress
- A small flowering plant also called Arabidopsis thaliana, widely used in plant experiments.
- Glucosinolate
- A chemical compound found in plants of the mustard family that can play a role in defense.
- Priming
- An earlier cue changes how an organism responds to a later event.
Sources & further reading
(3) · Checked Nov 9, 2026
- Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing ↗Oecologia · Springer NatureOriginal experiment measuring plant chemistry after playback of leaf vibrations and subsequent feeding.
- Leaf vibrations produced by chewing provide a consistent acoustic target for plant recognition of herbivores ↗OecologiaFollow-up measurements of chewing vibration patterns and tests with thale cress.
- Sounds emitted by plants under stress are airborne and informative ↗Cell · Tel Aviv University research portalA separate experiment measuring ultrasonic sound emitted into the air.
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CONTINUE THE THREAD
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