From My Readings This Morning!
THIS UNIQUE PHILIPPINE PLANT EATS METAL AND CLEANS SOIL POLLUTANTS
Found only in Luzon, Philippines, Rinorea niccolifera is a rare, metal-eating plant that has the ability to absorb high levels of nickel from the soil. Known as a hyperaccumulator, it can accumulate metals in concentrations far higher than most plants without harm. This unique trait makes it a potential tool for soil rehabilitation and green mining, offering an environmentally friendly way to extract metals and clean contaminated soils. Researchers hope that such plants could revolutionize eco-friendly technologies for soil remediation and mining in the future.
Scientists from the University of the Philippines, Los Baños have discovered a new plant species with an unusual lifestyle — it eats nickel for a living — accumulating up to 18,000 ppm of the metal in its leaves without itself being poisoned, says Professor Edwino Fernando, lead author of the report. Such an amount is a hundred to a thousand times higher than in most other plants. The study was published in the open access journal PhytoKeys.
The new species is called Rinorea niccolifera, reflecting its ability to absorb nickel in very high amounts. Nickel hyperaccumulation is such a rare phenomenon with only about 0.5–1% of plant species native to nickel-rich soils having been recorded to exhibit the ability. Throughout the world, only about 450 species are known with this unusual trait, which is still a small proportion of the estimated 300,000 species of vascular plants.
The new species, according to Dr Marilyn Quimado, one of the lead scientists of the research team, was discovered on the western part of Luzon Island in the Philippines, an area known for soils rich in heavy metals.
"Hyperacccumulator plants have great potentials for the development of green technologies, for example, 'phytoremediation' and 'phytomining'", explains Dr Augustine Doronila of the School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, who is also co-author of the report.
Phytoremediation refers to the use of hyperacccumulator plants to remove heavy metals in contaminated soils. Phytomining, on the other hand, is the use of hyperacccumulator plants to grow and harvest in order to recover commercially valuable metals in plant shoots from metal-rich sites.
For Details visit? https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/774507
Meanwhile, here's my quote of the Day!
Meryl Streep said:
"Aging is not for the weak. One day you wake up and realize that your youth is gone, but along with it, so go insecurity, haste, and the need to please... You learn to walk more slowly, but with greater certainty. You say goodbye without fear, and you cherish those who stay. Aging means letting go, it means accepting, it means discovering that beauty was never in our skin... but in the story we carry inside us."
Finally, here's the seafood menu from a Newly opened Filipino restaurant in Pleasant Hill, Isla Restaurant
Finally, Did you know That?
Rare earth elements—used in electronics and renewable energy—have been found in the Philippines, making it a potential tech-resource superpower. These elements are crucial for producing high-tech devices, electric vehicles, and renewable energy technologies.
The discovery of these valuable resources could position the Philippines as a key player in the global tech and energy markets, providing significant economic benefits while presenting opportunities for sustainable
development.
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