The Mystery of the Miracle Potato

Chapter 2. The Mystery of the Miracle Potato.
After the cosmic storm ended, the white hamster Homka did not leave the window of her laboratory for a long time, peering at the sparkling traces of a meteorite on the field. The sprouts of the fantastic plant grew extremely quickly, hugging the supports with their transparent stems and pulling the leaves towards the artificial light.
At night, Homka recorded in an electronic diary every change in color, size and reaction of the plants. She used sensory gloves to read the bioelectric signals on the leaves. Studies have shown that the miracle potato is able not only to absorb energy, but also to radiate it back into the soil, increasing the yield several times.Life was bustling in the laboratory. Groups of small hamsters gathered around the transparent capsule where the main experimental plant grew. At one point, Khomka noticed that if you smile or sing soft melodies, the potato glows a little brighter, and its roots reach for the sound.
— It seems that it doesn’t just hear us, but reacts! — exclaimed Peak, looking at the blue flash under the microscope.
Tina conducted experiments with different intensities of light, and discovered that the miracle potato likes soft, diffused rays. Young hamsters brought colored glass into the capsule, creating a variety of colors for experiments.
The research led to the discovery: the plant creates special proteins that allow it to interact with other organisms in the ecosystem — even with bacteria and fungi. Khomka and Tina wrote the first scientific article on “Symbiotic properties of space potatoes for biosphere farms.”
But every day the experiments became more complicated. The plant began to generate a weak bioelectric impulse, which accidentally triggered the mechanisms of automatic robots on the farm. One day, the drone Peak woke up at night and saw that the potato was “calling” him with the movements of its leaves - the robot flew closer and wrote down the formulas of bioelectric waves.
— It’s like a language, — Khomka said thoughtfully. — Perhaps the plant wants to communicate something or establish contact.
Guests began to flock to the laboratory: hamster researchers from neighboring farms, young students, even an old scientist Boro from the fortress city. They were all fascinated by the properties of the miracle potato.