{"id":11355,"date":"2024-03-07T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=11355"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:37:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T10:37:02","slug":"potato-plant-radiation-sensors-could-one-day-monitor-radiation-in-areas-surrounding-power-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/potato-plant-radiation-sensors-could-one-day-monitor-radiation-in-areas-surrounding-power-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Potato plant radiation sensors could one day monitor radiation in areas surrounding power plants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Fields of genetically modified potato plants could detect radiation.\n AP Photo\/John Miller<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nRobert Sears<\/a>, University of Tennessee<\/a><\/em> and Neal Stewart<\/a>, University of Tennessee<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

While expanding nuclear energy production would provide carbon-free power and can help countries around the world meet their climate goals<\/a>, nuclear energy could also come with some inherent risk. Radioactive pollution damages the environment, and it\u2019s nearly impossible to detect without specialized equipment. But what if plants growing in the facility\u2019s surrounding area could detect radiation pollution?<\/p>\n\n

The mechanical radiation detectors currently used, called dosimeters<\/a>, aren\u2019t completely reliable \u2013 during previous nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl<\/a>, they\u2019ve failed or been buried under rubble<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Our team<\/a> of plant scientists<\/a> at the University of Tennessee wanted to figure out alternatives to these mechanical radiation sensors to help address their historic failures, so we decided to build a plant-based sensor for gamma radiation<\/a>. The sensor, called a phytosensor, is a potato plant that glows fluorescent green when exposed to radiation.<\/p>\n\n

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