It is an exciting time to be alive. Self-driving cars are no longer science-fiction. Colonization of Mars is more than a pipe dream. And your spinach plant can email you to tell you if there is an explosive nearby.
To that last point: MIT engineers recently managed to embed spinach leaves with carbon nanotubes that act as sensors that are able to detect explosive devices and ping that information to a handheld device, via something like a text message or email. The spinach plant knows something dangerous is nearby after it absorbs chemicals through its roots — so if there is a landmine or other explosive in the area, the nitroaromatic compounds in the groundwater will trigger the spinach's sensors.
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