大象传媒

It might not be mind control, but by changing their chemistry tomato plants are able to defend themselves against hungry caterpillars. Reacting to warning signs in their surroundings, plants adapt their chemical make-up to become so distasteful that the caterpillars would actually prefer to eat each other. Professor John Orrock, who discovered this rather grisly phenomenon, explains why plants have developed this tactic and the benefits it has for them.

Picture: Will one of these caterpillars eat the other? Credit: PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images