For many years scientists have been wondering what actually
goes on in plants that are not visible for us. The team Lionel Dupuy at the University
of Abertay Dundee have had acreation of
synthetic soil, which is actually as clear as glass. This transparent dirt took
two years to develop which is made from composite Naflon, it is a certain type
of material that is used in fuel cells, they are used in batteries and other
devices. It also replicates chemistry in the soil that allows the plant to grow.
So Naflon is transparent, so to make it clear so that around people can observe
it, but the scientists mix it with a proprietary to mimic the soil.
The
scientists shaped the naflon into little pellets. Dupuy has used some of the
soil to see how some E.coli bacteria can interact with lettuce roots. So they
did that by creating a modified version of the bacteria to help the fluorescent
green protein. They are not sure how much bacteria is formed around the roots
of the plant, but they are finding a way to transfer the bacteria into fresh
products like lettuce and straw berries.
This was really interesting to me because it shows that
scientists today are coming up with even better ways to observe experiments and
test things. So it really shows how our technology is growing.
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