New spinach detect bombs and poison

london - In the fight against bombs made major biotechnical progress. At the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a variant of spinach made indicating whether they are exposed to explosives or poison. Scientists have a bomb-detecting spinach 'created, reported Tuesday the Guardian newspaper on the basis of publications in the journal Nature Materials.

The plant analyzes substances from the environment via the roots. How spinach practically can be used against bombs or landmines, is not yet clear. Possibly ferrous vegetable ever replace the sniffer dog, which then life does not have to risk looking for explosives or mines.

Spinach plant by the scientists led by Professor Michael Strano equipped with tiny particles underneath, called carbon nanotubes, which turns the crop in smart detective vegetables. The plant also has sensors when necessary alarm.

The choice of crops is logical according to Strano. They are cheap, easy to get and to keep itself out and well equipped for research on the roots of the plant, for example, see it coming a drought.