Hey, all you folks who question the value of genetically modified plants; check this out. A hybrid plant called a Thales cress may be able to detect the location of land mines. Apparently the plant is highly sensitive to nitrogen oxide, a chemical often found in mines; its leaves turn from green to red when NOX is detected nearby. Hmm. My first question was, “Who’s gonna plant these things?,” but that’s been addressed. “Its seeds can be sprayed over fields from planes or via spray guns at a cost significantly less than conventional methods.” It’s about to go into field tests in Denmark (Denmark? Leftover WW2 mines, maybe?) and elsewhere. It could be a big deal for both the lifesaving aspects and the financial ones (countries spend $200-$300M a year de-mining; imagine what that money could otherwise be used for).
Speaking of plants, on today’s Meet the Press Ralph Nader said “Seeds have to be given a chance to sprout in nature.” He was speaking of independent third parties while announcing his decision to run in this year’s election. The country needs a plant similar to the Thales cress for Ralph. His ego has completely taken over his reason. He continues to claim that there’s no difference between the two major parties; has he not observed a damn thing in the past 3+ years?