Posted on 12/21/2004 10:42:41 PM PST by dervish
Genetically Engineered Plants Detect Land Mines
(look under 11/29/2004 entry)
“A Danish company, Aresa Biodetection, has developed genetically-modified flowers that change color when their roots come in contact with nitrogen dioxide in the soil. Explosives used in mines produce NO2 as the chemicals gradually decay. The company plans to sow fields of NO2-sniffing Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale or mouse cress) in areas riddled with long-forgotten ordinance from Angola to Cambodia.
The effort's life- and limb-saving potential is staggering: More than 100 million land mines kill or injure 26,000 people in 45 countries each year. Today's most popular detection method is poking around with a stick.”
Further GMO’s can be grown with reduced pesticides.
Ban that Europe.
(Excerpt) Read more at core77.com ...
Pretty neat about the landmine flowers.
Mother Nature has been "engineering" plants for eons. Should she be thrown in Levenworth or Marion?
BTTT!!!!!!!
Who wants to drive the tractor that plows the "mine fields" so that the flowers can be planted?
Didn't think about that did they?
I'm sure they'll apply via helicopter or airplane... aerial spraying a mixture of seed and nutrients...
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