Plant biointelligence: A genetic, biochemical, molecular, and cellular perspective
- 1School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
Abstract
The concept of plant intelligence (PI), once controversial, is gaining empirical traction as a novel paradigm for understanding sophisticated plant behaviors. This review synthesizes the biological foundations of this intelligence across genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular biology, arguing it emerges from decentralized, integrated systems. Specifically, we dissect its foundations in genetics (e.g., hereditary information and evolutionary constraints), biochemistry (e.g., metabolic networks and signaling molecules), molecular biology (e.g., signal transduction and gene regulatory networks), and cellular biology (e.g., cellular sentience and tissue-level communication). We critically examine the methodological and conceptual challenges in studying non-neural cognition and highlight how contemporary tools such as live imaging, single-cell omics, optogenetics, and systems biology are overcoming these hurdles. Looking forward, we explore how nascent frontiers such as synthetic biology, plant-computer biohybrids, and artificial intelligence-driven in silico models promise to revolutionize the field. Overall, the present study contributing on opening a new research direction of plant biointelligence (PbI) is of fundamental implications on stimulating innovations in fundamental biology, providing blueprints of synthesizing PI with frontier biotechnologies, and offering profound insights into the nature of intelligence and, even, life.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026plant,
title = {{Plant biointelligence: A genetic, biochemical, molecular, and cellular perspective}},
author = {Yi Lin},
journal = {Current Plant Biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.cpb.2026.100686},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2026.100686},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Plant biointelligence: A genetic, biochemical, molecular, and cellular perspective
AU - Yi Lin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Current Plant Biology
DO - 10.1016/j.cpb.2026.100686
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2026.100686
AB - The concept of plant intelligence (PI), once controversial, is gaining empirical traction as a novel paradigm for understanding sophisticated plant behaviors. This review synthesizes the biological foundations of this intelligence across genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular biology, arguing it emerges from decentralized, integrated systems. Specifically, we dissect its foundations in genetics (e.g., hereditary information and evolutionary constraints), biochemistry (e.g., metabolic networks and signaling molecules), molecular biology (e.g., signal transduction and gene regulatory networks), and cellular biology (e.g., cellular sentience and tissue-level communication). We critically examine the methodological and conceptual challenges in studying non-neural cognition and highlight how contemporary tools such as live imaging, single-cell omics, optogenetics, and systems biology are overcoming these hurdles. Looking forward, we explore how nascent frontiers such as synthetic biology, plant-computer biohybrids, and artificial intelligence-driven in silico models promise to revolutionize the field. Overall, the present study contributing on opening a new research direction of plant biointelligence (PbI) is of fundamental implications on stimulating innovations in fundamental biology, providing blueprints of synthesizing PI with frontier biotechnologies, and offering profound insights into the nature of intelligence and, even, life.
SN - 2214-6628
ER -