This keynote speech was delivered at the 2018 National Bioneers Conference. Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers Co-Founder and CEO.
From ancient myths to modern blockbuster movies, humanity has recounted countless stories in which a seemingly inert vegetal world suddenly comes to life to express itself like a person. What if these stories were more than the fruit of vivid imaginations and were based on an underlying truth? Monica Gagliano, Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Western Australia, has courageously illuminated the revolutionary new field of Plant Bioacoustics. She’ll share startling cutting-edge research and show how contemporary science has finally begun lifting the veil of our assumptions by beginning to attune its ears to vegetal “voices.” She believes this new paradigm will expand our perspectives to provide us with imaginative new solutions to our current eco-cultural predicaments.