3-17 FB Plants Turn White

Forget body scans or airport pat downs, we soon may be able to sniff out bombs, toxins and all sorts of stuff with good old fashioned plants.  Hi, I'm David Sparks, and just when the Feds cancelled the color coded terror alerts it seems that scientists at Colorado State University have brought a brand new use for hue in protecting our lives.  I'll be back in a minute to explain...

 There may come a day when certain plants in your workplace suddenly turn white, at which point everyone will run screaming from the building – those co-workers will have been right to do so, as the white plants indicated that a toxic gas was present. Before that scenario can take place, a little more work still needs to be done, and a Colorado State University (CSU) biologist is doing it. Using a computer-designed detection trait, she is creating plants that stop producing chlorophyll when they detect pollutants or explosives in the air.

According to researchers, plants such as tobacco are as good as or better than a dog’s nose for detecting airborne substances. Unlike dogs, however, plants don’t need to be trained, housed or fed. They also don’t need to be powered or protected from the elements, unlike electronics.