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What if that carrot ISN'T just a carrot?

(Photo by jaBB via Flickr Creative Commons)

In 1968, L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, declared as the result of a scientific experiment an unusual and disturbing notion: that tomatoes scream when sliced.  However strange his declaration may have seemed, Hubbard is in good company when it comes to prodding garden produce in search of an emotional response. Other famous investigators of vegetable consciousness include Charles Darwinand the British physician Thomas Burgess.  Latif Nasser is a doctoral candidate with the History of Science department at Harvard and contributor to Radiolab. He wrote about our collective history of researching the inner lives of plants for the Boston Globe, and joins us to share more.

Virginia Prescott is the Gracie Award-winning host of Word of Mouth, Civics 101, The 10-Minute Writers Workshop podcasts, and the Writers on A New England Stage series on New Hampshire Public Radio. Prior to joining NHPR, she was editor, producer, and director for NPR programs On Point and Here & Now, and directed interactive media for New York Public Radio.
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