Spinach is one of the healthiest vegetables which can be added to the daily diet. A versatile ingredient, the leafy green is enriched with vitamins A, C, K as well as minerals such as Iron, Manganese and Magnesium. Among the multiple health benefits, Spinach is best known to strengthen bones and maintain good eyesight and immunity. However, according to recent reports, scientists have found an all-new function of the humble vegetable. Believe it or not, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Techonlogy (MIT) have transformed spinach leaves into sensors capable of detecting information and relaying it back to the scientists via email. Take a look:
Plant-human communication is finally here...and it's wonderfully weird. ????
Spinach has been engineered to send emails when it finds specific compounds.
This tech could be used to detect landmines, pollution, and even upcoming droughts.
The ultimate superfood...!
In full ????— euronews Living (@euronewsliving) February 1, 2021
As per an in-depth study on Nature Materials, scientists have used a field of technological research called 'Plant Nanobionics' to achieve this extraordinary feat. "Here, we demonstrate that living spinach plants can be engineered to serve as self-powered pre-concentrators and autosamplers of analytes in ambient groundwater and as infrared communication platforms that can send information to a smartphone," reads the paper. Thus, spinach leaves are now being converted into sensors, which can detect the presence of compounds in the soil. When they are detected, an infrared camera picks up the signal and sends an email alert to scientists. Spinach could, therefore, be used to warn the researchers about factors such as pollution, climate change and even explosives like land mines etc.
The tweet about the news was shared by @euronewsliving and it soon went viral on social media. Several users reacted to the bizarre yet interesting development in the world of science. Take a look at some of the hilarious reactions by Twitterati:
First email to popeye— Accas4Life (@Accas4Life) February 1, 2021
Can you imagine being the scientist that gets this email eye- pic.twitter.com/Vo8uRCt0wB— ????Plague Dr. Jasparrows????⚧️????♿️ (@Jasparrows) February 2, 2021
Our dedicated team of professionals are waiting to take your call pic.twitter.com/N4NfIe5HBS— Andy Price (@imandyprice) February 2, 2021
pic.twitter.com/RH7okuxyB3— Kane “The KG” Gray (@The__KG) February 2, 2021
Not a smart move. Next step will be Spinach calling us 5 times a day to tell us our cars extended warranty has ended.— Larry Enticerrrr (@AaronB68084388) February 2, 2021
What if we accidentally eat the spinach that's supposed to send the emails? pic.twitter.com/u4P2m5qA6K— Feel it Tweet it! ❤???? (@LiZaisatweetie) February 2, 2021
Spinach can learn to send emails, yet I still cant teach my 75 year old mother how to face time or log onto the internet, let alone how to email...????— Suzanne Miriam Bilski ???????? (@BilskiSuzanne) February 2, 2021
What did you think of this viral news? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
About Aditi AhujaAditi loves talking to and meeting like-minded foodies (especially the kind who like veg momos). Plus points if you get her bad jokes and sitcom references, or if you recommend a new place to eat at.