Replicating the Princeton PEAR Lab Plant RNG Experiment

Can plants affect the ordering of random numbers? Can they bend probability to give them an edge in their growth and evolution?

Note: This article is a repost from my original blog in 2021 and was featured in Hackaday.

My favorite experiments are the ones that are conceptually simple but have astounding implications. I learned about this one while watching Close Encounters of the 5th Kind, the newest documentary by ufologist Dr. Steven Greer. The film is about a protocol for contacting alien intelligence. As intriguing as that might be, what really sparked my interest was a short clip about 50 minutes in.