Don：Yael,the last time I was mown the lawn,Icouldn't help thinking, it's lucky these grass plantdon't feel pain.

唐：雅艾尔，上次我修理草坪的时候忍不住想，那些树木花草感觉不到疼痛是很幸运的。

Yael: Ture,Don. But did you know that scientistshave discovered that plants use a form of electricalsignaling that spreads throughout the plant whenone of its leaves is injured.

雅艾尔：的确，唐。但你知道吗，科学家们发现有一种植物，一旦其树叶受伤，会立马向全身传导一种电子信号。

Don：Like the electric signals that spread through our nerves when we are injured?

唐：就像人类受伤后通过神经传导的电信号吗?

Yael: The electric signals in plants, called “system potentials”, are not exactly like the electric“action potentials” in the nervous systems of animals. But they do have certain similarities.Both kinds of electric signals travel very quickly from the site of the wound to distant parts ofthe organism.

雅艾尔：植物体内的电信号被称为“系统电位”，它与动物神经系统里的“动作电位”并不完全一样。不过它们的确有某些相似之处。这两种电信号都能很快地从受伤的部位传到生物远处的部位。

Don：Cool.

唐：酷。

Yael: The way these electric signals were discovered is pretty cool,too. A team of Germanscientists carefully inserted super thin, hair like electrodes through open stomata on the leaves.Stomata are tiny pores, found on the undersides of leaves, that open and close to controlevaporation and gas exchange for the plant. The tiny electrodes could then record activityfrom cells inside the leaf. Using these sensitive electrodes, the scientists were able to recordchanges in voltage as the electric signals spread from leaf to leaf across the entire plant. Thesystem potentials in plants move much more slowly than the electric signals that run throughour neurons, spreading at rates between two to four inches per minute.

雅艾尔：发现这种电子信号的方式也相当酷。一个德国的科学家团队通过叶子张开的气孔，仔细地植入了超薄、类似头发的电极。气孔是位于叶子下侧的微小毛孔，这些气孔的开放和关闭控制着植物水分的蒸腾和气体交换。这些小电极能记录叶片内细胞的活动。利用这些敏感电极，科学家能够记录电信号从一片叶子传到另一片叶子时电压的改变。植物体内的系统电位比在人体神经系统内流动的电信号要慢得多。人体内电信号传导速度为每分钟二至四英寸。

Don：So,can my grass feel pain?

唐：那么，草能感觉到疼痛吗?

Yael: No. Plants don't have brains or feelings the way animals do. But it is important for plantsto detect damage from herbivores, insects or even lawnmowers. Electrical signaling is one wayplants know there is damage and it's time to activate defense mechanisms or begin re growthin damaged areas.

雅艾尔：不能，植物并没有大脑，不能像动物一样有感觉。但是对植物来说，探测来自食草动物、昆虫甚至剪草机的伤害非常重要。电子信号是植物用来感知受伤部位，并抓紧时间激活防御机制，或修复受伤部位的方法。