First they brought in the chickens. Then came the pigeons. Now, Army-backed researchers are trying to turn plants into biological and chemical toxin sensors, Wired News reports.
Scientists at Penn State are working on a three-year, $3.5 million program to turn the mouse-ear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a small flowering plant in the mustard family, into a green sentinel. The idea is to futz with the plant's proteins so that it makes a visual response when poisons are nearby.
But these researchers are hoping the cress will do more. Maybe the plant can be genetically engineered to react to explosive elements -- making the cress into a living mine-detector, as well.
Don't hold your breath for this one.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here.
