They stroked the arabidopsis with soft paintbrushes, and then analyzed the plants’ genetic responses. Within thirty minutes of being touched, 10 percent of the plant’s genome was altered. Clearly, the plant was reorganizing its priorities to deal with the disturbance, and rerouting energy away from the hard work of getting taller. Touched multiple times, arabidopsis cut its upward growth rate by as much as 30 percent, just as Jaffe had found years before.
