02.01.06

Welcome back to another week's installment of the The K-Files. February is upon us, but Spring is still a distant dream. To help tide you over, I've got three more paranormal news articles to peak your imagination.

This week, the Top Story covers recent findings that plants are more human than we make think. Next, I present to you a case of a real-life "Memento". Finally, I've got some some thoughts regarding the Freedom of Information Act as a means for disclosure.

:: Top Story ::

Don’t tread on me. Plants behave like humans: Don Burke Australian Associated Press - January 23, 2006  Plants are not unlike humans. They can talk to each other and even call in reinforcements when the going gets tough. Who says so? Australian gardener Don Burke and Australian National University chemistry Professor Ben Selinger, in reviewing research on plants over the past 10 years, have come to the conclusion that many plants have human qualities. They say plants can communicate with each other by using a range of chemical signals. I’ve always been fascinated with the secret lives of plants. The concept of say a fern having sentience is just a fantastic idea—one that shakes the foundation of how we perceive the world around us. Because if each plant—down to a blade of grass—has feelings, just walking down the street wouldn’t be the same.  Another interesting part of the article is how plants have been known to use chemicals to attract insects for protection. So if say a caterpillar was having its way with a leaf, the plant would call out to other bugs to attack said caterpillar. Moreover, nearby plants can detect this, and will likewise put up a similar chemical barrier.  That just floors me. To exploit bugs over other bugs seems like some rather complex reasoning, to me.   As I recall, this topic has been discussed on Coast to Coast AM in the past. But in the wake of these new findings,  I would much like to hear Don Burke interviewed in the near future.

:: The Human Brain ::

Do what now? The Day His World Stood Still Joanna Schaffhausen - Brain Connection  When twenty-seven year old Henry M. entered the hospital in 1953 for radical brain surgery that was supposed to cure his epilepsy, he was hopeful that the procedure would change his life for the better. Instead, it trapped him in a mental time warp where TV is always a new invention and Truman is forever president. The removal of large sections of his temporal lobes left Henry unable to form any new personal memories, but his tragic loss revolutionized the field of psychology and made "H.M." the most-studied individual in the history of brain research.  When it comes to movies that make you think, Christopher Nolan’s Memento is one of the better. It is a movie about a guy that can no longer make any new memories. To keep on track, he must write constant notes to himself, going so far as to brand himself with tattoos in order to remember important facts.  Who’d have thunk such a thing was possible?  Granted, Memento was stylized for entertainment, but it does a good job showing how it would be to live without memories. To start over in your mind each time you lose your train of thought would be hell—but then you would never have remembered losing your train of thought, having to relive this personal torment hundreds of times a day.  I shudder at the thought, but it has me thinking about just how important our memories are. Without our link to the past, everyone would just be standing around asking, “Do what now?”