Genetically Modified Flower Detects Landmines

cdneng2 writes "Yahoo has the story that a Danish company has developed a plant that can detect landmines. The genetically modified weed that has been coded to change color when its roots come in contact with nitrogen-dioxide (NO2) evaporating from explosives buried in soil." The company website has a bit more information.

Comments

Spirit of Diana Spencer

[The I Shing]

I wish Diana Spencer were alive to see this development. I bet she would have gotten other celebrities to underwrite the use of this technology to save countless lives worldwide. But luckily there are other wealthy individuals who might undertake an experiment with this plant, and make that company rich in the process (which is, in the words of Stuart Smalley, "okay").

Elton John will write a song about it, too.

Nice to see a company making a bio weapon that helps people instead of making them die horribly and slowly.

Good Idea

[Grey_14]

This is the kinda thing Genetic Engineering and Modification should be going into, not for Cheaper prices in the supermarket, or Glowing fish,
Lets see more food in starving country's, Less Landmines, and other ways to improve life,

Of course, thats whats been said about just about any new or improved technology in the last what, 30 years?

Re:Good Idea

[donutello]

Cheaper prices in the supermarket are usually the result of greater production and lower cost to produce so the same stuff that brings you cheaper prices in the supermarket is what you need to have more food in starving countries.

GM is a tool. Like almost any other tool you can use it for good, evil or something frivolous.

What next? You want legislation saying that computers should only be used to educate low-income students and not for playing games?

Re:Drop them from planes over third world countrie

[KReilly]

But I wonder what happens when it misses some of the mines (E.g. Mines too deep, too new, plant did not grow close enough too it). That kind of defeats the purpose of doing this if they have to double back over the entire field to make sure they have not missed any. I think the idea is awesome, but not fool proof. And the fact that these seeds have to survive, and beat out other plants in the area. I think it is totally fascinating, and a creative idea, but seems to have a very small range of effective uses.

Re:Yes, but...

[Russ Steffen]

More importantly, that's a mine you no longer have to worry about...

Re:What Happens

[Bagheera]

A combined effect? A one less mine, and some chlorine in the gene pool.

But seriously, this seems like one of the most humanatarian uses of BioTech I've ever heard of. They even made the plant sterile on deployment to stop cross contamination.

Awesome development if it works as advertised.

Re:What Happens

[glesga_kiss]

When the kids of 3 world countries run out into the fields to pick the flowers??

They grow up hating the country that made the landmines? Sounds all too familiar.

Re:What Happens

[cduffy]

to stop cross contamination

You mean "to prevent unauthorized use", right?

Preventing cross-contamination is just a handy side effect.

Re:What Happens

[Guppy06]

"Any kid growing up in a country where landmines are a problem is probably very likely to listen to the nice soldiers"

Any kid growing up in a country where landmines are a problem probably has at least one friend their own age short a few limbs.

Re:When are you murderers going to sign the Treaty

[theTerribleRobbo]

What about AFTER the conflict? One of the main problems with landmines is that they hang around after the conflict has finished, unless they're detonated.

But then again, it's not hard to miss just one, maybe two, especially if you aren't organised (like some non-US armies may be).