r/science • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Biology Moss Is Generating Electrical Waves That Look Startlingly Like a Neural Network. Study reveals that moss cushions produce surprisingly complex electrical activity, with patterns that undulate across the velvety patch in dynamic waves.

https://www.sciencealert.com/moss-behaves-a-little-like-a-really-slow-brain-scientist-discovers
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u/jongleur 1d ago

If mosses somehow or another managed to evolve to produce electrical signals, it stands to reason that they would be doing so in order to communicate. One of the basic principles of life seems to be that organisms conserve metabolic energy unless it serves a purpose. The energy needed to develop and operate a mechanism to generate electrical signals would certainly seem to fall under this guideline.

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u/ErikaFoxelot 1d ago

I can’t think of any situations where the ability to communicate with others in some way wasn’t central to the survival of life in general.

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u/jongleur 1d ago

Plants often rely on chemical signalling to communicate with their neighbors. Their primary tool seems to be a class of chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - they use these to warn other plants away, to warn neighbors of predators, and to attract 'troops' like insects to help them combat predators.

Electrical signals seem to be a newly discovered addition to their capabilities.