Science

Do Trees Really Talk to Each Other? Controversial New Study Raises Eyebrows!

2025-05-18

Author: William

For ages, we've pondered whether trees are mere silent giants in our forests or if they possess some form of awareness and communication. Now, a daring new study claims that spruce trees may actually engage in a kind of dialogue during solar eclipses, but many in the scientific community are highly skeptical.

Conducted by a team from the Italian Alps, the study monitored three spruce trees during a solar eclipse in 2020. Researchers recorded unusual synchronized bioelectrical signals in these trees—tiny electrical currents naturally present in living organisms. Astonishingly, these signals began to change hours before the eclipse, particularly in the older trees.

Monica Gagliano, a co-author of the study, posits that this behavior indicates the trees were not merely responding to the impending darkness but were actually anticipating it, acting as a unified "collective system" in their communication.

These claims have gained traction in media headlines, painting a picture of an interconnected forest intelligence system. The research, published in "Royal Society Open Science," even hints at the possibility of tree cognition or memory!

Yet, many experts in plant science remain unconvinced. Ecologist James Cahill critiques the research's small sample size, highlighting that it does not account for various environmental factors. Some critics also point out an alarming oversight: the youngest tree studied wasn't even located in proximity to the others.

More troubling is the lack of a crucial comparison. The study doesn't analyze how the trees behave during regular day-to-night transitions. Critics argue that the observed changes could simply be a normal phototropic response triggered by the eclipse—nothing more than trees adapting to shifting light conditions, not conversing with one another.

Despite the backlash, both the researchers and the journal assert their support for the findings. The team emphasizes that this is just the beginning, with plans for further research to definitively answer the question: Do trees truly talk to each other?