| MadSci Network: Botany |
No, Cleve Backster's polygraph experiments and other fantastic stories in the book "The Secret Life of Plants" are not valid science. A polygraph was designed to measure if people are telling the truth. It is not logical to expect a polygraph would work on plants, which have no brains, nervous system, or emotions. Cleve Backster and the authors of the book "The Secret Life of Plants" were not plant scientists so they didn't use the procedures required to do valid science. Things that seem like science, but are not, are termed pseudoscience. Plant pseudoscience includes things like music effects on plants, prayer effects on plants, and planting by the sign of the moon. There are plenty of valid plant science experiments you can do dealing with topics such as photosynthesis, gravitropism, phototropism, plant hormones, plant nutrition, hydroponics, fertilizers, transpiration, seed germination, propagation, breeding, acid rain, soil pH, photoperiodism, etc. References Hershey, D.R. 1995. Plant Biology Science Projects. New York: Wiley. Galston, A. W. 1974. The unscientific method. Natural History. 83(3): 18, 21, 24. [A plant scientist explains why "The Secret Life of Plants" is flawed.]
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