Are plants aware of themselves?

Sure, scientists noticed one of my special skills. But most people are still overlooking my epic poetry.

- By Lizzie

A: "Of course they are aware," says Monica Gagliano. She's an evolutionary biologist at the University of Western Australia. Scientists have long known that plants react to their environment in all sorts of ways. For example, they grow toward sunlight and release chemicals to fight off insects that want to eat them. Not all scientists are comfortable calling those abilities "awareness," a word many people use to describe only humans and animals. But for Gagliano, it's obvious. "Plants are responding to the environment and the information that the environment is providing them," she says. "That's awareness.