Bomb Sniffing Plants Next Line of Defense In Fighting Terrorist WTF
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- Wizzane
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The latest in airport security isn’t a fancy new scanner from the TSA, it’s a special plant that can sniff out would-be terrorists.
Researchers at Colorado State University have manipulated the plants so that they turn white when it detects even trace amounts of TNT in the air. The technology, published in the peer-reviewed online science journal PloS One and financed by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, could find its way into airports in just a few years.
“The idea to make detector plants comes directly from nature,” said Professor June Medford, the lead scientist on the team. “Plants can’t run or hide from threats, so they’ve developed sophisticated systems to detect and respond to their environment.”
Her team in the Department of Biology has found a way to rewire those systems so that the chlorophyll drains off from the plant, leaving them a stark white when they detect specific materials.
Still relatively immature, the current technology has a response time of hours but Medford hopes to reduce this down to a few minutes over the next couple of years as they improve the process. The redesigned plants are also highly sensitive, 100 times more sensitive than a bomb-sniffing dog....and
Full Story: http://www.waneenterprises.com/forums/4/907/1
The latest in airport security isn’t a fancy new scanner from the TSA, it’s a special plant that can sniff out would-be terrorists.
Researchers at Colorado State University have manipulated the plants so that they turn white when it detects even trace amounts of TNT in the air. The technology, published in the peer-reviewed online science journal PloS One and financed by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, could find its way into airports in just a few years.
“The idea to make detector plants comes directly from nature,” said Professor June Medford, the lead scientist on the team. “Plants can’t run or hide from threats, so they’ve developed sophisticated systems to detect and respond to their environment.”
Her team in the Department of Biology has found a way to rewire those systems so that the chlorophyll drains off from the plant, leaving them a stark white when they detect specific materials.
Still relatively immature, the current technology has a response time of hours but Medford hopes to reduce this down to a few minutes over the next couple of years as they improve the process. The redesigned plants are also highly sensitive, 100 times more sensitive than a bomb-sniffing dog....and
Full Story: http://www.waneenterprises.com/forums/4/907/1
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Wizzane
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This seems like a total waste of money.
- 1 year ago
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Wizzane
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NiceN
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Plants turning white are better than an unwanted hand in the crotch.
- 1 year ago
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NiceN
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a619ko
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I wonder if the plants still convert CO2 into oxygen, or if they produce any side effects towards our health...Because I can already see airports loaded with these plants.
- 1 year ago
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a619ko
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mitekillem
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a619ko:
Yeah. More than likely. All plants breath CO2, and exhale O2.
These are just sensitive to TNT.To get them to be faster though, they might have to increase their metabolism, and burn more CO2. They could pump out high quantities of O2. Power O2....
- 1 year ago
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mitekillem
