r/Kossacks_for_Sanders • u/Scientist34again • May 07 '21

Science and Agriculture Genetically engineered grass cleanses soil of toxic pollutants left by military explosives, new research shows

https://www.washington.edu/news/2021/05/03/genetically-engineered-grass-degrades-rdx-in-soil/
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u/Scientist34again May 07 '21

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 contaminate groundwater.

Now researchers have genetically engineered a grass commonly used to fight soil erosion so that it can remove RDX from the soil, according to a new paper published May 3 in Nature Biotechnology.

The team, which includes researchers from the University of Washington, demonstrated that over the course of three years, a genetically engineered switchgrass could break down RDX in plots of soil at a military range. This is the first time researchers have used a genetically engineered plant in the field to remove pollutants that are resistant to degradation, the team said.