Science/Tech

Scientists Engineer Bionic Plants With 'Super Powers'

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Mar 20, 2014 09:03 AM EDT

Scientists have reportedly created bionic plants by placing tiny carbon nanotubes deep inside their cells which boosts their photosynthetic power by factor of three. 

The new mechanism might sound like something belonging to a science fiction novel but these bionic plants are existing in real and are hugely in favor of humanity. 

"Plants are very attractive as a technology platform," said MIT Carbon P. Dubbs professor of chemical engineering Michael Strano in the press release. "They repair themselves, they're environmentally stable outside, they survive in harsh environments, and they provide their own power source and water distribution."

Scientists have embedded carbon nanotubes in the plants' chloroplasts - plant organelles responsible for photosynthesis. They noted that the mechanism enabled plants to absorb 30 percent more light. 

"We could someday use these carbon nanotubes to make sensors that detect in real time, at the single-particle level, free radicals or signaling molecules that are at very low-concentration and difficult to detect," Giraldo added.

"Right now, almost no one is working in this emerging field," said Giraldo in the press release. "It's an opportunity for people from plant biology and the chemical engineering nanotechnology community to work together in an area that has a large potential."

Researchers believe that the augmented plants could be tailored for specific purposes. 

"This is a marvelous demonstration of how nanotechnology can be coupled with synthetic biology to modify and enhance the function of living organisms - in this case, plants," said Boston University professor of biomedical engineering James Collins in the press release.

"The authors nicely show that self-assembling nanoparticles can be used to enhance the photosynthetic capacity of plants, as well as serve as plant-based biosensors and stress reducers."

The team has published their findings in the online journal Nature Materials

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