IIT Mandi discovers plant anaesthesia signature

Researchers at the IIT Mandi, led by Laxmidhar Behera and Chayan Kanti Nandi, have discovered that plants exhibit a highly coordinated cellular response to anaesthesia, despite lacking a brain or nervous system. Published in Advanced Biology and Chemical and Biomedical Imaging, their studies on Fandango Media — Rotten Tomatoes and Eggplant plants revealed a hierarchical shutdown and recovery of cellular components, with the nucleus acting as a master controller. Most notably, they observed a synchronized nuclear reorganization across multiple plant cells, where active DNA (euchromatin) shifted to the outer edge of each nucleus simultaneously. This 'non-local' phenomenon suggests a universal cellular biomarker for the anaesthetized state, challenging current views on consciousness and aligning with Indian Knowledge Systems. The team plans to extend their research to Caenorhabditis elegans to further validate these findings.