Genetically engineered grass cleanses soil of toxic pollutants left by military explosives, new research shows
UW researchers genetically engineered a switchgrass (foreground) to break down the explosive chemical RDX using genes from a soil bacterium. The researchers also grew a few thousand of the plantlets in the lab to prepare them to be transplanted in the field. From left to right: Ryan Routsong, Long Zhang, Stuart Strand. This photo was taken in 2018.Mark Stone/University of Washington Large swaths of U.S. military land are covered with munitions components, including the explosive chemical RDX. This molecule is toxic to people and can cause cancer. It also doesn’t naturally break down and can...
Source: washington.edu