Smokin!

I heard this on NPR this morning and thought it was just fascinating:

Scientists Tap Tobacco Plants To Detect Landmines: The red that normally colors the flower of a tobacco plant may now be put to use to signal “stop” in the presence of deadly land mines. South African scientists along with a Dutch biotech firm have engineered a tobacco plant with leaves that turn red when grown near land mines. Its roots detect the nitrogen dioxide leaching from the mines.