Scientists have developed a method for detecting pollution in soil using light

^{Photo: Vitaly Ankov/RIA Novosti}
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created an innovative technology. With the help of this new method, bacteria emit light when they sense toxins and nutrients in soil and crops. The results of this scientific research were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology (NatBiotech).

According to experts, this technology is much easier and more convenient than traditional and complex analyzes, and allows you to check the condition of the soil in a simpler way. For this, it is enough to observe specially modified bacteria. Their light signals can be easily recorded using hyperspectral cameras on drones or satellites.

Bacteria glow in different colors when exposed to various harmful or beneficial substances in the soil. To produce such "reporter" molecules, scientists conducted quantum mechanical simulations of more than 20 thousand metabolites and selected the most effective molecules. As a result, the biliverdin pigment, which gives green spots a green color, and bacteriochlorophyll, which is important in photosynthesis, were selected.

In experiments conducted by the researchers, the system demonstrated very high sensitivity. For example, soil samples containing the tested substances emitted a signal 12 times stronger than the control sample, and this signal could be detected from a distance of 90 meters. Although the light emitted by the bacteria is invisible to the human eye, very small color changes in a wide range of wavelengths were easily recorded using hyperspectral cameras.

"The new system can detect not only heavy metals, radiation or various toxins in the soil, but also nutrients. In other words, the system can be adapted to any substance that you want to detect in the soil,” says Professor Christopher Voigt, who led the research.

According to experts, in the near future this new technology can be widely used in the agricultural sector, environmental monitoring and tracking various types of pollution. This will further facilitate environmental protection and the cultivation of plants in healthy soil. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!