The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Author Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.
Fee: $10; Free for Members of the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation, Sarah P Duke Gardens, JC Raulston Arboretum, Durham Garden Forum and Durham County Master Gardeners. Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
Registration: Register at go.unc.edu/lighteaters
Location: Zoom.
Accessibility: This will be a virtual program that takes place on Zoom with the option to enable closed captioning.