........ ...... AV 71 'I 'r,'* r,y Ron Shaffer %is work with plants, tlia'u very instant the record- Washin:;ton Po.%t Starf Writer which 1-ms been dismissed is in,, pen bounced off tile top Cleve Backster, 48, is a lie impliusible b)r -ainy circt ofthe chart.' scientists, in 1966, he Backstcr said his life detector sl)ccia2li-st who rcc!Lllcd, wli@ii in a mor,,teit lia,,ii't been tlic, sime since. years of tests tnd oi)scrva- of clivf,]..,;ioli. ,IC decided to "The iniliil 2 resul@' indi- tion, his concluded that liook pol3,,,ral)li clect@-odes cated that plants have some pla-its perceive more tlikn avcs or in 2 office sort of perceptive a to tile IC bility, we might Stl.%I')CCt. Pllilt. lie slid. ksteil For 2 B-ic "Surprisin&,13,, th@- con- In subscqiient tests, be says, plants irc aware of ,our lines oil tile 'Chirts slid he found that plants people ,n(I sense their in- 2 were similar to tyl)icil rc2c- emitted d strai,,ht line Oil send- teiitions, -iii(I reict by tions of i lium:,n," lie said tile or went into "ncoii- !jig ou2t tll,-.t can be in in inteiview.yestLrci@y- ,iro(itict-vity" when a certain CLI,:VE @.'LCXST.-@R recor(led by 1 ,)ol@,,-ral)h nia- Ile spoke to spirittiilist-01-i- bo,,,,2:,i@ entered the room.,. "loved ,)Iati-' prospers" ciii,.ic ilic detector). ciiteci groups in the metro- ThL, boti,.-,ist, lie discovered, A plant in clail."cr may go politan -area Sunday and,--7-- -plints in the sciict. QUL"nor','tial signal!;, -lie, .11,@o its cqllivllcilt of liuninil Monday.- 2 @cotivc o.r li-.r work. id . . ..... Sal @-I - tliou@ht about testin@l, L'iL- botanist left, the 2 til t' .;,Ioci@, 'ilacksler siys. Oil the Aio, i7.@r S lowea a )tice bind, lie siys a loved its reactions and (lecided to plan'6 would slowly recover plant %vill prosper. burn it with a match. At and after 30 minutes would See -PLIINTS CG COI ml -ickster is the director or a New York polygraph scziool for law enforce,,iieiit of ficiils and has been work- in.- with lie detectors for 24 ,years. Dur;liig the last six years ,, he has also bcc,-i mak- iiig poly,,trapli studies of 2 plants. rf -4 oiel PLANTS, Froiii Cl ftaest they take alon-. a p-&'c- yesterd,-.y did not equivocalei 2 ture of a plin' and think %vhcn asked about Back-ster's a plant could "identify," about it." This' insures its findings. Article taken from with an c-,zcrc,,erated reac- health, he siys. ..,I i:@ dlar Sir, does this re. Washington Post, tion on the rraph,'bneman Bac!@ster,. Nvho said 2lie has search seem repsonable to 18 April 1972, in a ff roup of six who min.. -,received little criticism from 3,ou?" asked an ii-.credu'cus anyone about h,'.s theories, Dr. 2 Robert Kra,.:ss, head o-I Section A and C. utes before had destroyed said th,,i' pl4@nt perception the botany depi,-'@mcnt at. anot2her plant in the -room. could soineday be used to the University o-' ;Ilaryla.-id. "I al-@o found that Nvhcn- thwart airplaie l@.ijicl-ers by Dr. Joreph Granani, an a.-. ever I ta2lked al)Out MY Of- kc-cpiii@ a piptit at ,lie ".ate riculttlrz,.l admini-rlr@-tor at fi,:e plant, no matter .vhat to sens'a bad iifentiois. :@lili- the U-.S. D;,par'L-,ent of A@ 2 part of the cot,,,itry I was in, tary persc-niiel, lie said, have rictilture, said 'tha- the dl'- the plant would slio%,.r a cor- suf.1ges4ecl ti,a'6- i pltzit might part,-,.ent conducts@resez,2.rch respor-dina reactio-,t on the be talen oiL patrols to tip only oil liieh pr:lority p@ob- cliirts, at exlctly the same off soldiers of imp,.,ndin-. Icms, and he d@d 2 not t@.ilik rrorlic-iit I was tallzing about ambushes. that I;aci-ster's findin.-s it," Bacl:ster si:.d. Backster said he receives woi,,Id fall into t'lat cate@- Bac'gster said that tiese funds for his research from gory. and other of the "thou. small grants a-,id froi@ the "We can't say ,n@,t!iinc is 2 saii(Is" of obsc-r%,Ltions he profits of his scl-,col. imposs;blc," be said, I'@ut has made "leids me to be- "Private or,-anlzations, (%vhat Backster sua,,esfs) 2 lieve that plants have a and the goverillnent, too, seems hi,,lily impro,.,.i'ble."' sc-nse of perceptio.?i that dor-,'t ivaiil to sporsor re- goes beyond our2 basic five search they tliin'l- nii,.lht wind up enib:i:-rassin@ to He saitl he has found that them," lie said. a a 2I)Iant h;).s an "attuneinc,,it" Area scle.-itists coiiticted with its o-,vier .nd reacts to yes'erdiy did not equivocate praise. when asked about Backster's 1 'When people go on vaca- findines. tions," lie said, "I often su,.,- Are; scientists contacted