Re: "Living geiger counters"

[Les Fraley <les@lamar.ColoState.EDU>]

On Wed, 7 Apr 1999 GACarlson@aol.com wrote:

> On page 391 of the March 1983 issue of National Geographic magazine is a 
> photograph of a flower apparently identified as Tradescantia virginiana .  
> Below the photograph is the caption:
> 
> "Living geiger counters, the stamen hairs of spiderworts change from blue to 
> pink when exposed to radiation and air pollutants."
> 
> Glenn
> GACarlson@aol.com
  So, what's your point?  This information is old: as from the 50's.
  I did not go back and read the article, but the most sensitive Trad was
a cross between two species - with an even more sensitive one developed
with a triple cross.  Don't remember the species involved.  There were
many problems with using Trads, however, because they are also sensitive
to many environmental factors, including temperature and light intensity.
Arnold Sparrow, Brookhaven, published many articles on the topics.
Les Fraley, Emeritus
Colorado State University
Ft Collins CO 80523
les@lamar.colostate.edu









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