It may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction movie, but scientists have managed to create spinach plants that are capable of sending emails.

Through nanotechnology, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, have transformed spinach into a sensor capable of detecting explosive materials. These plants are able to transmit information back to scientists, without cables.

When spinach roots detect the presence of nitroaromatics in groundwater, a compound often found in explosives such as landmines, the carbon nanotubes inside the plant's leaves emit a signal. This signal is then read by an infrared camera and then emailed to scientists.

"Plants are very good analytical chemists," explains Professor Michael Strano, who led the research. "They have an extensive root network in the soil, constantly taking samples from groundwater and have a way of self-empowering the transport of this water up to the leaves."

The purpose of this experiment was to detect explosives, but Strano and other scientists believe it could be used to help researchers with pollution and other environmental conditions.

Due to the large amount of data that plants absorb from the area where they are located, they can be used to monitor ecological changes.

Burimet: Euronews, The Times of India