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The plant that pretends to be ill

news.bbc.co.uk — A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rainforests of Ecuador.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 20, 2009

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53 Comments

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  • sgvbomberman, on 06/20/2009, -2/+30Just like my wife when I want sex.
  • stinklez, on 06/20/2009, -2/+22typical lazy plants, showing up late for work, pretending to be sick, dallying around...
  • vstg005, on 06/20/2009, -2/+22the George Costanza plant!
  • Vodd9, on 06/20/2009, -2/+14While she's having healthy sex with someone else.
  • netneutrality, on 06/20/2009, -1/+12Random mutations + natural selection = evolution.
  • thegrantman, on 06/20/2009, -0/+11Caladium Hypochondrius
  • yacks, on 06/20/2009, -0/+9Plants have feelings too.. PETA just doesn't want you to know that..
  • steelersfan7roe, on 06/20/2009, -3/+12Still not the illist plant I know..
  • MrMeikel, on 06/20/2009, -1/+9I guess this has something to do with the fact the plant has no eyes.
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -1/+8I don't think that it is faking anything.

    I am not a biologist, but my guess would be that the moths don't touch the plant with that "chlorophyl deficiency", making them better at reproducing than the "healthy" plants, who get attacked.

    A couple of generations later, you have plants seem to do it on purpose, because they have inherited that trait from their "good at surviving" parents.
  • Santad, on 06/20/2009, -1/+7This article makes it sound like the plants are being manipulative, as though they are in control. This really proves that even genetic mutations will become embedded in the code so long as it promotes the species in any way.

  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -0/+6Nothing new to the natural world. I've been doing this since I've started working!
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -0/+6Paint some white lines on the green leaves. I wouldn't use liquid corrector, unless you find a brand that doesn't smell ;)

    Where could I have taken this novel approach, I wonder...
  • Wingin, on 06/20/2009, -0/+6That's interesting. I reckon the leaves with white correction fluid do even better than the naturally variegated leaves because the researchers were better at mimicry than the actual plant. (Or else the moths didn't like the smell?) Based on the photo, the plant is doing a pretty rough job of looking infected, even though apparently good enough for most moths.
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -2/+8attention whore.
  • palpacino, on 06/20/2009, -0/+5What about the independent variable here in the research: The Paint.

    Could the chemicals in the paint be the reason they stayed away from the leaf?

    Sort of sounds like it when they compare the .4% and 1.6% findings..

    Just playing devil's advocate, but so much BS "research" finds its way around the net. This seems legit, but still worth noting.
  • Rivetgeek, on 06/20/2009, -0/+5this. Random mutations created a plant with a couple tiny white spots. The moths avoided them a little less and so the genes were passed on over countless generations until a pattern that worked best to stop the moths was formed.
  • xs11ax, on 06/20/2009, -2/+7how does the plant know how to fake that illness?
  • pitdog, on 06/20/2009, -0/+5sneaky bastard
  • Meursault, on 06/20/2009, -0/+5Women do this with fake wedding bands.
  • steelersfan7roe, on 06/20/2009, -0/+5I wonder if this plant leaves its car parked at work all day too, also leading his boss to believe he is the first to arrive and last to LEAVE.
  • bioviral, on 06/20/2009, -1/+5Just like being back in elementary.
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -1/+4I am fluent in over 6 million forms of communication and this isn't one of them.
  • babylonian, on 06/20/2009, -2/+5I thought this was gonna be some hilarious anti-global-warming article when I misread the title as "The planet that pretends to be ill"
  • Eupatorus, on 06/20/2009, -2/+5"What's the time?"

    "It's time to get ill!"
  • WBWB, on 06/20/2009, -0/+3Kinda like calling in sick to have a day off.
  • ArmyofAngels182, on 06/20/2009, -0/+3That's very interesting.
  • inactive, on 06/21/2009, -1/+4^ C3PO would never say "OVER 9000". He's a protocol droid, not a /b/tard. :D
  • ImyK, on 06/21/2009, -1/+4***** you, mother nature, when will you stop?

    The insect pretending to be a plant pretending to be ill?
  • h3xZ, on 06/20/2009, -2/+4What the ***** is that supposed to mean?
  • Yage2006, on 06/20/2009, -1/+3Interesting how this plant and humans have evolved the same trait.
  • lanzemurdok, on 06/20/2009, -1/+3it's trying to get out of going to school
  • KingGorilla, on 06/20/2009, -1/+3and nothing of value was gained by that comment
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -1/+3Dugg for Beastie Boys.
  • GlassAgate, on 06/20/2009, -3/+4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
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    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _,,,--~~~~~~~~--,_ . . . . ._________/
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    . . . . . . . . . . . ,-‘ :: ::: :: : : :: :::: :::: :: : : : : :O ‘-, . . . . . . . . .
    . . . . . . . . . .,-‘ : :: :: :: :: :: : : : : : , : : :º :::: :::: ::’; . . . . . . . .
    . . . . . . . . .,-‘ / / : :: :: :: :: : : :::: :::-, ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ; . . . . . . . .
    . . . . . . . . /,-‘,’ :: : : : : : : : : :: :: :: : ‘-, ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;;| . . . . . . .
    . . . . . . . /,’,-‘ :: :: :: :: :: :: :: : ::_,-~~,_’-, ;; ;; ;; ;; | . . . . . . .
    . . . . . _/ :,’ :/ :: :: :: : : :: :: _,-‘/ : ,-‘;’-‘’’’’~-, ;; ;; ;;,’ . . . . . . . .
    . . . ,-‘ / : : : : : : ,-‘’’ : : :,--‘’ :|| /,-‘-‘--‘’’__,’’’ ;; ;,-‘ . . . . . . . .
    . . . :/,, : : : _,-‘ --,,_ : : : ||/ /,-‘-‘x### :: ;;/ . . . . . . . . . .
    . . . . / /---‘’’’ : # : : : : : | | : (O##º : :/ /-‘’ . . . . . . . . . . .
    . . . . /,’____ : : ‘-# : , : : : : ‘-,___,-‘,-`-,, . . . . . . . . . . .
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    . . . . .) : : : : : : ,, : ‘’’’~~~~’ :: :: :: :’’’’’¯ :: ,-‘ :,/ . . . . . . . . .
    . . . . .,/ /|\| | :/ / : : : : : : : ,’-, :: :: :: :: ::,--‘’ :,-‘ . . . . . . . .
    . . . . .\’|\ |/ ‘/ / :: :_--,, : , | )’; :: :: :: :,-‘’ : ,-‘ : : : , . . . . . . .
    . . . ./¯ :| | : |/ :: ::----, :/ :|/ :: :: ,-‘’ : :,-‘ : : : : : : ‘’-,,_ . . . .
    . . ..| : : :/ ‘’-(, :: :: :: ‘’’’’~,,,,,’’ :: ,-‘’ : :,-‘ : : : : : : : : :,-‘’’\ . . . .
    . ,-‘ : : : | : : ‘’) : : :¯’’’’~-,: : ,--‘’’ : :,-‘’ : : : : : : : : : ,-‘ :¯’’’’’-,_ .
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    / : : : : : -, :¯’’’’’’’’’’’¯ : : _,,-~’’ : : : : : : : : : : : : : :| : : : : : : : : :
    : : : : : : :¯’’~~~~~~’’’ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : : :
  • ImyK, on 06/21/2009, -0/+1Like freckles.

    Only these marks serve as an advantage.
  • K4Lic0, on 06/20/2009, -3/+4We have leaves that have those trails from mining moths in our garden every single year. Nothing seems to make them go away. Maybe some sort of chemical will do it.. but spraying chemicals in my front yard is stupid.
  • VyPR, on 06/20/2009, -2/+3"Feed me!"
  • carlonchox911, on 06/20/2009, -2/+3Ah, lazy like most of us Ecuadorians..
  • geogob, on 06/20/2009, -2/+3It must be a GM plant...
  • Piha, on 06/21/2009, -1/+1Dugg for Dugging for Beastie Boys.
  • JMDMD, on 06/20/2009, -0/+0"This really proves that even genetic mutations will become embedded in the code so long as it promotes the species in any way."

    What? THIS proves that? As in not every other organism on this planet proves that? That's evolution buddy. And yes, this is certainly an example of that. If you want to be specific, you could say this is coevolution between the moth and the plant. Now it's the moth's turn to develop senses capable of seeing through the trickery.
  • Rudegar, on 06/20/2009, -2/+2but your weed overestimated you
  • Rincewind09, on 06/20/2009, -2/+1KILL IT WITH FIRE
  • w3ber, on 06/20/2009, -5/+4i have 4 wives, you westerners are so closed minded

    8 *****! i "rullZ"

    cry me a river!
  • ImyK, on 06/21/2009, -3/+1^ Dugg for not saying "over 9000".

    6 million does seem a bit excessive though. Unless one of those ways is to communicate via toenail clippings, I don't think I'm all that impressed.
  • LonelyTylenoL, on 06/20/2009, -5/+2Well that's....different......
  • inactive, on 06/20/2009, -7/+4nothing extremely witty has been written yet...
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