Danish biologists genetically modified a plant so it's able to detect the explosives hidden in the ground, and particularly the anti-personnel mines. The Arabidopsis thaliana has two different properties: the first is to be sensitive to nitrogen dioxide present in the explosives, the second is to produce anthocyanins, natural pigments that make the autumn's beautiful colours.

The biologists shorted-circuit these two properties, creating a relation between the first and the second: when the Arabidopsis thaliana detects nitrogen dioxide, it produces the pigment and becomes red, whereas its classic maturation would like it green.

The idea is thus to sow the plant by helicopter and the result is visible after 3 to 6 weeks. Moreover, the researchers also made it sterile to avoid a proliferation which no one could control.

More than 100 million mines would be still hidden throughout the world in 75 countries, result of guerrillas and conflicts of any kind. Every twenty minutes, a person is mutilated or killed by a mine, and the majority of the victims are less than twenty years. Find and destriy the bombs is a slow and tiresome operation, which is carried out using dogs and machines.