Book club – Lessons from Plants by Beronda Montgomery

Chemistry World Book Club

This episode is for all those people who have turned to gardening or amassed houseplants during the Covid lockdowns as we’ll be talking about Lessons from Plants. In it, the biochemist Beronda Montgomery explores the vigorous and creative life of organisms often treated as static and predictable. Writing about plants’ fascinating ability to perceive, adapt, communicate, decision-make and collaborate, Montgomery asks us to consider the question: What would a plant do?

We discuss what agriculture got wrong about plants’ symbiotic relationships, how caring for plants can help educators create an environment in which students thrive, and talk to Montgomery about converting knowledge of science into lessons for being better humans.