Scientists Discover Plants Can “Count” – and May Be Smarter Than We Thought

Researchers report evidence that Mimosa pudica can distinguish and track separate events in light–dark cycles.

In experiments at William & Mary, plants exposed to repeating light/dark schedules increased pre-dawn movement when light was expected.

Plants adjusted to a 20-hour cycle but the pattern broke down outside a 12–24 hour range, supporting an event-counting explanation.

The authors say the results suggest information processing without neurons and call for mechanistic follow-up studies.