SCIENTISTS TO CLONE METAL EATING PLANTS
SCIENTISTS TO CLONE METAL EATING PLANTS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Wireless Flash) – It sounds like something from The Little Shop of Horrors but scientists are on the verge of cloning metal-eating plants. According to Dr. David Salt, professor of plant molecular physiology at Purdue University, scientists have discovered a metal-munching gene in a type of tiny wild mustard plant found in the Austrian Alps. The gene allows the plant to hyper-accumulate nickel. Now scientists hope to clone the gene in other plants and use the metal- eating foliage to clean up soil polluted with heavy metals or radioactive materials. They say the metal-gobbling plants clear out a contaminated field in five to 10 years.
Tue 08-14-01