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6 Cells United
as compared to animal cells – all this enhances their ability to survive. Rather than
moving to a better place, plants adapt to changes in their environment by getting
taller to catch sunlight and extending their roots to imbibe more moisture. They are
not as sensitive to radiation (for example, prospering in the Chernobyl exclusion
zone), and they never die of cancer, as their rigid cell walls prevent metastasis.
Plants do not have a nerve network, and therefore are not in pain when eaten. Lots
of advantages – but we still don’t envy them. A person in a coma is said to be in
a vegetative state. Fungi also share many of plants’ dubious privileges – but they
deserve less attention from our self-centered point of view, as we don’t need them
for our survival.