#sciencevideo
Plants vs explosives
Did you know that plants can extract TNT and RDX from soil and water?
These two explosives, which are some of the most widely used in munitions, are classified as highly toxic.
Pollution from explosives can pose a risk to both the environment and public health, so it’s vitally important that cost-effective ways of dealing with it are found.
Research carried out by Professor Neil Bruce at the University of York uses genetic modification to combine the characteristics of certain bacteria, which are able to detoxify different types of explosives, with the larger mass and higher processing ability of plants.
Watch out for more amazing plant science in the weeks to come.
How do ants keep clean?
For the first time, scientists at the University of Cambridge have uncovered the secrets of how ants use different types of hairs to clean away dirt from their antennae.
For an insect, grooming is serious business. If the incredibly sensitive hairs on their antennae get too dirty, they are unable to smell food, follow the trails of their kin or even communicate.
Camponotus rufifemur ants have a cleaning structure on their front legs that is used to groom their antennae. The device, similar in shape to a tiny lobster claw, is covered in different types of hairs. During cleaning, the antenna is pulled through the device, clearing away dirt particles using ‘bristles’ a ‘comb’ and a ‘brush’.
In the future, the research could be applied to the field of nanotechnology - where the contamination of small things is a big problem.
Video credit: University of Cambridge
