Waterspaceship Down?

Researcher Sharon Doty, of the University of Washington, Seattle, has found a way to transplant rabbit genes into poplars, turning the trees into high speed toxics removers with potential applications for keeping one's spaceship tidy. Another researcher may be turning watercress into swords.

Dotyt's research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , found that six-inch tall genetically modified poplar cuttings with a rabbit gene inserted into them removed up to 91% of the chemical trichloroethylene from the water used in their feed. The chemical was then broken down by the plants into a harmless salt, water and carbon dioxide--more than 100 times faster than by unaltered plants.

Poplars naturally use an enzyme called cytochrome P450 to break down contaminants. But the rabbit gene gives the plants a real kick.

The neo-poplars also broke down other common environmental pollutants including chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and vinyl chloride.

"In view of their large size and extensive root systems, these transgenic poplars may provide the means to effectively clean sites contaminated with a variety of pollutants at much faster rates and atlower costs than can be achieved with current conventional techniques," wrote Sharon Doty.

So why not plant them throughout your space station, and let them continually gobble up waste chemicals?

Another study published in the PNAS demonstrated a way to break down the military explosive RDX. Neil Bruce of the University of York wrote that "One of the biggest concerns of RDX as a pollutant is that it migrates readily through soil into the ground water and subsequently contaminates drinking water supplies."

His team genetically modified Arabidopsis - a small flowering plant inthe cress family widely used as a model organism in plant biology - to express enzymes called XplA and XplB, which are known to break down RDX. The plants reduced RDX concentrations from soil up to 97% in one week.

Applications? What about inserting genes expressing Xp1A & B into one-celled algae, then spraying them onto enemy ammunition dumps? Done surreptitiously to a hostile planet's munitions, the ammo-eating algae could cause their weapons to give out little more than a green fizzle.