@jmax@mastodon.social The question is: Are they actually dead at that point? What constitutes death for a plant? It's not lack of brain activity. Warning: Go too far down this road and you realize that the #potatoes that will happily begin growing shoots if you leave them in the sack for too long are alive and screaming when you drop them into boiling water. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190687724.003.0010 After all, part of the point of #cooking is to kill otherwise still-alive organisms before eating. @cstross@wandering.shop #ValentinesDay #biology #botany