Botanically interesting. I think it might be missing something in practical terms as a mine detector.
Hm, is that a minefield? Let me just throw my magic bomb-sniffing spinach over there
The humble spinach plant has been elevated into a bomb-sniffing sensor by embedding carbon nanotubes into its leaves. A group of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that spinach can be turned in a chemical sensor for nitroaromatic compounds – a chemical rarely found in nature, but often found in …
COMMENTS
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 09:13 GMT Doctor_Wibble
Re: Borg spinach?
Hmm... plant-tech hybrids taking over the world, was there not a documentary series warning about the dangers of this technology a long time ago?
Ah yes... Jayce_and_the_Wheeled_Warriors
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 14:16 GMT Dan 55
Re: Borg spinach?
Isn't it just great when a bunch of neurons started remember the title tune and then you can't get the damn thing out of your head without brain surgery?
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 16:53 GMT Doctor_Wibble
Re: Earworm
Fortunately I don't remember the theme tune due to always tuning in too late.
But there is a sort-of cure that I found just recently which only recurs at odd intervals and eventually fades Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box
So - better or worse than a rickroll...?
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Tuesday 1st November 2016 21:45 GMT Richard 12
So how does one inject the nanotubes?
Or plant a pre-treated plant?
Without entering the minefield?
This technique probably has some great applications, but minefield detection is definitely not one of them!
Pollutant detection sounds feasible - plant them around a bunded tanked to spot leaks.
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 08:43 GMT Rich 11
Re: I don't get it
It's not intended for the Middle East.
such as picric acid
It's for UK secondary schools: plant spinach around the Science Block.
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 06:44 GMT Jemma
Couldn't resist...
I'm weak at the finish,
Cos AIDS beats out Spinach,
I'm Popeye,
The Dyin' man.. - Drawn Together
One thing with this Spinach mine detector idea, wouldn't it be better in places like Vietnam to spray it from the air in a small area, and see if local plants show the effect as strongly? Because as I understand this you've got to traipse around planting spinach or injecting random plants (some of which are more than capable of taking extreme exception to being touched) in the middle of potential minefields.. Not a job conducive to general health.. While avoiding such lovable critters as Russell's Vipers and Blue Striped Coral snakes..
I've a feeling this one of those "great ideas in the lab but this is real life" situations.
I can't really think of any place to use it.. A nuclear accident, you'd know you were contaminated when you started to melt (or in the case of Chernobyl, the fish got sleepy), a chemical accident like Bhopal - you know when your lungs have climbed out of your chest to complain personally.. It's a clever idea, like the spiders spinning graphene webs but I can see a use for them, for this I just can't.
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 09:43 GMT John Smith 19
OK so let's see if I can find a use for it
Spray solution on area of plants.
Scan with IR camera.
Check for fluoresce
Map fluoresce data to model explosive concentrations.
Caveats.
What the range in concentration sensitivity between plants. Are some in the same species 10x as sensitive as others or more or less the same?
What's the range between plant species?
If they are land mines how do you defuse/detonate them safely?
At present one of those, clever in the lab, not so clever in the field ideas.
But could get better
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 10:34 GMT Unicornpiss
Seems a tad slow...
Ok, we've got the bomb squad on scene. Plant the spinach. Send in the watering team. Okay, now wait... wait some more... Oh, it's not summer? Let's come back in 6 months and try again. And since fertilizer is full of nitrogen compounds, I wonder how that affects it?
At least when you're done, you'll have the makings of a tasty salad, albeit with some added flavor.
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 13:10 GMT Anonymous Coward
Sure no problems there
Microbeads at 10 micrometres are hazardous and collect in the environment and people but 10 nanometre particles will be perfectly safe.
And how can we have a free society if the government and business is monitoring you on a molecular level?
As for the applications suggested we already have solutions for those we just choose not to use them.
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Wednesday 2nd November 2016 17:24 GMT Roland6
Re: Real life usefulness
Scatter the seeds from a small drone and then us a sensor equipped drone to spray a die over any area with bomb indications above the background level.
Careful this might actually be useful!
As it potentially would permit the planting of 'spinach' across a large area, leave it to grow and then survey to confirm whether either the area is clear of mines or identify the places where mines still lurk.
Mind you, I wonder what results they will get if they planted this across "Flander's fields"...