Plants don't just hear sounds, store memories, trick animals, and recognize kin, although I'll admit it, I'm shocked by those discoveries. They also have social lives (I'm imagining a plant rager right now), and their keen communication skills are why they're still kicking around after all these years. Zoë Schlanger has the scoop—the Atlantic staff writer's book The Light Eaters looks closely at the intelligent botanical life that's busy in survival mode. For this conversation, Schlanger will be joined by Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.