Plant Nano-Bionics

First there was the bionic man, then there was the bionic woman. Now “bionic plants” are on the horizon. And unlike the former two just I mentioned bionic plants are not simply a work of science fiction. MIT researchers are working to make plants even more useful than they already are - plants release the oxygen we breathe, provide food and fuel, along with many other valuable functions. By augmenting plants with nano-materials researchers could very well enhance plants energy production - giving them completely new functions, such as monitoring environmental pollutants or increased energy production. In fact, researchers are hoping to develop plants that could be used as real-time monitors that would be capable of detecting specific molecules that are at very low concentrations and generally difficult to detect. Like any new and unchartered scientific research, there are plenty of questions surrounding the effects of embedding plants with nanotechnology, such as how extra electron flow might influence a plant’s sugar production. But as one of the lead researchers has said, “It’s an area that has a large potential.”