# Bomb-Detecting Plants Biologists Develop Flora That Instantly React to Explosive Chemicals By Michael Hines | Published 2011-01-28 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bomb-detecting-plants References: [dvice](http://dvice.com/archives/2011/01/bomb-detecting.php) & [tinyurl](http://tinyurl.com/47cokfu) Biologists at Colorado State University are developing bomb-detecting plants that can instantly change colors when explosive chemicals are in the air. While this may seem like ridiculous science fiction, the project has received tons of funding; lead researcher June Medford says that the plants could be in airports within four years. As someone who is fearful of flying, the news that bomb-detecting plants are being developed is music to my ears. Check out the video to see Medford explaining in detail the science behind these bomb-detecting plants. How's that for flower power? ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.4/10 - Popularity: 20% | Activity: 74% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Bomb-detecting Plants:** Biologists are developing technology for plants to detect bomb-related chemicals in the air, leading to possible applications in various industries. - **Plant-based Detection Systems:** Plant-based detection systems are a potentially disruptive innovation in security, surveillance, and public safety industries that could provide a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to existing detectors. - **Biological Sensing Technology:** Biological sensing technology, such as these bomb-detecting plants, has the potential for applications beyond security and could be used in environmental monitoring, healthcare, and agriculture sectors. ### Who This Affects Most - **Security:** The security industry could adopt the use of bomb-detecting plants as a cheaper and more efficient way of detecting explosives in various settings such as airports and borders. - **Surveillance:** The use of plant-based detection systems could be a disruptive innovation in the surveillance industry as it could provide a more discreet and sustainable way to monitor areas such as public spaces and high-security facilities. - **Healthcare:** Biological sensing technology such as that being used to develop bomb-detecting plants has potential applications in healthcare for disease detection and monitoring, leading to potential disruptive innovation in the industry. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Plant Disease-Monitoring Patches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electronic-patch.md) - [Indoor Gardening Glowing Petunias](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/firefly-petunia.md) - [Growth-Stimulating Electronic Soils](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electronic-soil.md) - [AI-Driven Plant Sensors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flora-pod.md) - [Air-Purifying Houseplants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/neoplants.md) - [Magnetic Mine-Detection Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/minedetection-system.md) - [Agricultural Living Sensor Technologies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biotechnology-platform.md) - [Fluorescent Nano Fertilizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nano-fertilizer.md) - [Aerial Fertilizer Measuring Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/asd-fieldspec-4.md)