Even outside the political realm, it seems that sentience doesn't necessarily hinge on having a brain.

At the Paris Zoo, a slime mold took the internet by storm. It learns, heals, and seemingly remembers! Its fleeting moment of fame has passed, leading us to the next viral phenomenon in our collective internet-induced distraction (a diagnosis I can personally relate to).

Yet, there's more beneath the surface. This slime mold is part of a broader narrative among living organisms attempting to convey to humanity, “We are aware!”

The Animal Kingdom

Reflecting on a conversation from two decades ago with my brother-in-law about pig farming, I argued that pigs experience awareness, emotions, and pain. He dismissed my claims, asserting that animals merely react instinctively. I let the discussion go, recognizing that my words would change nothing.

That exchange has lingered in my mind. How can anyone deny that animals possess a form of awareness? Pet owners, in particular, have ample evidence through countless videos showcasing the empathy and awareness of dogs and cats. How can one witness a horse returning to rescue its own during California wildfires and not recognize the familial bonds we cherish? Research has revealed empathy and cultural elements among various chimpanzee groups.

However, it’s not limited to terrestrial animals. Consider a dolphin near Hawaii that approached a diver, revealing a fishing hook ensnared in its fin. The dolphin remained still as the diver removed the hook and cut the line. Five years later, the same dolphin seemed to recognize the diver, suggesting profound implications:

• The dolphin understood that the hook and line involved humans.
• It believed a human could assist in its release.
• The dolphin intentionally approached a stranger, presumably seeking help with the expectation that it would be provided.
• It exhibited patience while the diver worked to free it.
• The dolphin remembered the diver after an extended period.

Such understanding, belief, hope, and recognition of individuals—can these characteristics not be associated with sentience? Research suggests that different whale and orca populations may also have unique cultures.

Keep this in mind during discussions about the dolphin hunts in Taiji.

Of course, humans, chimpanzees, dolphins, whales, and orcas are all mammals. Is sentience exclusive to mammals?

It appears not. Birds, while not mammals, exhibit behavior that suggests their songs are more than mere sounds but a form of language:

> Vocal learning and the intergenerational transmission of song information have been observed in numerous species. Song serves not only in territorial defense but also in attracting mates. Birds utilize social and auditory learning to develop their repertoires.

Furthermore, there are documented funerary practices among animals. Yes, I’m referring to “funerary rites.” Did you think only humans, elephants, and a few other mammals mourn their dead?

> American crows acknowledge their deceased in two ways: through alarm calls or loud scolds, and through mobbing behavior. This usually persists for about 15 to 20 minutes, as observed by Swift.

As we consider mammals and birds, many are aware of the intelligence of octopuses. But what about fish? Research indicates that they possess greater awareness than once believed. In my youth, I was taught that fish lived solely to eat and reproduce; the notion of self-awareness in fish seemed absurd. However, recent findings reveal:

> [Fish] can learn to evade traps and remember how to do so after a year. They can learn from peers, recognize familiar fish, understand their social standings, and retain complex spatial maps of their environment.

There is a growing consensus that the cognitive abilities of fish may parallel those of mammals:

> Fish exhibit excellent memories and reside in complex social structures where they recognize individuals and learn from one another. This leads to stable cultural traditions. They demonstrate self-recognition, cooperation, and even Machiavellian intelligence, such as negotiation and reconciliation. They construct intricate habitats and display tool-using capabilities. Their sensory perception often surpasses our own. When comparing their behaviors to primates, notable differences are scarce, aside from the potential for imitation. This body of evidence suggests they are sentient, and research on their capacity to experience pain akin to humans is increasingly compelling. I argue that there are valid reasons to include fish within our moral circle and grant them the protections they warrant.

Remember this the next time you visit a seafood restaurant, contemplating which lobster to choose for your meal.

Insects, too, appear to possess self-awareness.

Observe the image above. What do you see? Cooperation. Ants working together toward a shared objective. Yet, their behavior goes beyond mere teamwork. They show remarkable selflessness:

> When an ant colony is infected with a harmful fungus, healthy ants do not shun their sick companions. Instead, they care for the infected by grooming them, which dilutes the infection, allowing the colony to manage the disease collectively. This “social immunization” prepares the immune systems of healthy ants to combat the infection.

While many are aware of “wars” between ant colonies (with the largest known colony extending 6,000 miles), consider what is observed during these conflicts: “symbolic combat,” suicide tactics, and even acts of genocide. To engage in an “ant war,” colonies must have a target, organize in large numbers, and coordinate their efforts. Interestingly, opposing colonies may choose to negotiate peace or even form alliances against others. One can only imagine a Carl von Clausewitz or Otto von Bismarck with six legs and antennae.

Ants are not alone in their intelligence. For instance, the diving bell spider crafts an “improvised scuba suit.” This knowledge must have originated with one spider and been passed down. Even fruit flies exhibit decision-making processes, and cockroaches display individual behaviors, suggesting they possess distinct personalities. If even such humble insects exhibit individuality, what about the rest of the animal kingdom?

The Plant Kingdom

Some readers might be thinking, “Good grief! Now this writer will claim that plants are sentient too?”

What does the evidence indicate?

In the mid-1980s, I recall reading in a Seattle newspaper about a researcher in Oregon who discovered that when trees suffered severe cuts, there was a spike in specific electronic frequencies. I doubted the credibility of the claim, suspecting the logging industry would suppress it if true. Since then:

> Scientists from the University of Western Australia have detected grain seedlings’ roots emitting crackling sounds at 220 hertz. When exposed to this frequency, other seedlings oriented their tips toward the sound.

While there is considerable evidence for electric communication within an individual plant, evidence for communication between plants is scarce. However, growing experimental data suggests that plants do communicate through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and via their root systems. The Royal Horticultural Society has found that plants seem to respond positively to human voices, especially female voices.

This root communication was first identified by German forester Peter Wohlleben, who discovered a centuries-old stump still containing chlorophyll beneath its bark, indicating it was still alive.

> I stumbled upon the gnarled remains of an ancient tree stump. The interior had rotted long ago, suggesting the tree had been felled at least four or five centuries earlier. Yet, how could it remain alive for so long? It was evident that the surrounding beeches were supplying sugar to the stump to keep it alive. (emphasis added)

A similar phenomenon occurred in New Zealand, where a stump, unable to sustain itself, was kept alive by neighboring trees with interconnected roots:

> “For the stump, the advantages are clear—it would be dead without the grafts, as it lacks any green tissue of its own,” Leuzinger states. “But why would the green trees nurture their ‘grandpa’ tree when it seemingly contributes nothing in return?”

Leuzinger proposes that the grafts formed before one tree lost its leaves, allowing it to share resources, enhancing stability and nutrient access for the trees on the steep forest slope. Thus, as one tree ceases to provide carbohydrates, this may go unnoticed, enabling the stump to survive on the strength of its neighboring trees.

Dr. Suzanne Simard recounts a two-hundred-year-old beech tree in contact with younger beech trees, effectively sharing nutrients as if it were a nurturing parent. She elaborated on this concept in a TED Talk, suggesting that trees communicate, interact, and cooperate, and we may eventually decipher their forms of communication. While this notion may sound far-fetched, we must ponder why an older tree would provide nutrients to younger ones. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

One wonders if Tolkien is smiling at this revelation, considering that “Beechbone” was the name of one of the Ents that defended Isengard.

Conclusion

What are we, as humankind, to presume that we are the sole beings capable of thought and planning for our families, experiencing joy, fear, and sorrow, or acting out of altruism? Increasing evidence suggests that the traits of sentience, personality, individuality, and social awareness are not exclusive to humans but are found throughout the animal kingdom, encompassing all creatures that walk, crawl, slither, fly, or swim.

Is it truly so incredulous, given the accumulating evidence?

Moreover, if plants communicate (as they seem to through sound and chemical signals), could they also possess a form of awareness and individuality? While we cannot state this with certainty, we cannot dismiss the possibility either.

The Encyclopedia Britannica, in a piece authored by Dorion Sagan, Carl Sagan, and Lynn Margulis, defines life as:

> Life, living matter, and, as such, matter that exhibits specific attributes, including responsiveness, growth, metabolism, energy transformation, and reproduction. Though a noun, the term life might be better represented as a verb, reflecting its nature as a process. Life consists of individuals and living beings, assignable to various groups (taxa).

If every macroscopic entity in the animal realm possesses sentience (albeit to varying degrees), and if this holds true for the plant kingdom as well, we must conclude that our understanding of life is incomplete, requiring a definition that also encompasses self-awareness.