Can artificial neurons teach a Venus flytrap to respond to technology?

Science · Published 7 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Scientists have successfully integrated artificial organic neurons with living plants. By using printed transistors that mimic biological signaling, researchers have demonstrated that electronic pulses can trigger physical responses in a Venus flytrap, effectively allowing machines and biology to communicate in the same language.

In February 2022, researchers at Linköping University achieved a milestone by demonstrating an artificial organic neuron that can be integrated with a living plant. These neurons, along with artificial organic synapses, are constructed from printed organic electrochemical transistors. Unlike traditional silicon electronics, these organic semiconductors can conduct both electrons and ions, allowing them to mimic the ion-based mechanism used by biological systems to generate action potentials. This innovation relies on the ability of the transistor to switch based on ion concentration. Such technology enables researchers to modulate the frequency of spiking signals. This development was published in the journal Nature Communications. The research team included experts from Lund and Gothenburg. These organic electrochemical transistors are highly versatile. They can be produced using standard printing presses.

The researchers chose the Venus flytrap to demonstrate how an artificial organic system can steer a biological system by communicating in the same language. By applying a small electric pulse of less than 0.6 V, the team was able to induce action potentials in the plant, which in turn caused the leaves to close, even though no fly had entered the trap.

This breakthrough builds on work from 2018, when the Linköping University group became the first to develop printable organic electrochemical circuits using both n-type and p-type polymers. These transistors can be manufactured on thin plastic foil, allowing thousands of them to be printed on a single substrate to emulate the neurons and synapses of a biological system.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The human brain is five orders of magnitude more energy efficient
• Do plants use electrical signals to communicate and count?
• How a cockroach's nervous system translates electricity into movement
• How nature's blueprints are powering the next generation of microscopic machines
• Nerve cells invented electricity hundreds of millions of years ago
• A genetic glitch that turns anesthesia into a metabolic firestorm
• The chemistry of softening water for your home and industry
• A Mediterranean fortress forged by empires and survived by its people
• Why biofuels are emerging as a necessary alternative to fossil fuels
• Can a giant physical grid function as the world's largest analogue digital image?
• The two primary chemical pathways to producing modern alcohols
• Can you intentionally manipulate the YouTube algorithm to change your video recommendations?

More in Science · Latest · A–Z · All topics