Michael Pollan Takes a Plant's-Eye View

In this TED Talk from 2007, nature writer Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food) thinks about plants...from the point of view of those plants. Is grass taking over the world, getting humans to destroy forests? Is corn slowly dominating our entire food system? Pollan thinks that our consciousness isn't the only effective tool for dominating a planet -- plants have some tricks up their sleeves (or, uh, leaves) as well.

Discussed: "I want to say a word for the soil, the bees, the plants, and the animals"; planting potatoes; how are bees and gardeners alike?; summoning genes from a seed catalog; manipulating bees; how Michael Pollan was seduced by a potato; being duped by your lawn; lima bean wars; corn's scheme for world domination; the Eggmobile; intensive grass farming; how we can "reanimate" the world.

You can also watch this talk as a high-resolution video.