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Metal-Munching Plants Are Our Friends

Lance I’m teaser couple plan to study hall pass these

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0:16
passes around able to have a look at watch the edges of the park they’re
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kinda
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little bit sure good solid about
0:26
should be yes I’m be out what I’m gonna
0:31
for if these plants in a minute for Nikon is kinda have a look at them
0:34
summer botanist
0:39
but a when I think about the natural world and
0:43
my inspiration for doing research I I think primarily about
0:46
the evolutionary process adaptation and
0:51
and I really basic sense all biologists are
0:55
studying adaptation we’re attempting to use the
0:59
different tools a biological research understand how
1:02
small changes I’m driven by natural selection
1:06
have led to the incredible diversity organisms that we see today all over the
1:10
earth
1:11
and my particular fascination is of course plants
1:15
but the supplies on to all of lifes and the tools that I is to stay quiet
1:20
through the same tools that people use to study
1:22
and if they hear wonderful
1:25
and
1:29
and have a wonderful organisms that you see here on the board
1:32
everything from offense frogs
1:36
desert plants insects and so
1:39
I just want you guys to keep that in mind it is a as I go through his side’s
1:42
and talk about my particular interest which is the interaction between plants
1:47
and soils
1:48
so I idea mister my research in western North America
1:52
not so much here in British Columbia but further south in California and Oregon
1:57
and their I’m when you’re out in about driving around looking at plants looking
2:02
at
2:02
have attacked you come across examples like this pretty frequently
2:06
but we have here is two very different plant communities
2:10
in the foreground we have I’m is very dense hard
2:14
recall chaparral such trouble and black community
2:17
and the background we have this more open understory
2:20
oak woodland and the the boundary between these two
2:25
plant communities on is not induced by Manor fire
2:29
and have those kinds of processes them immediately come to mind it’s driven by
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soil
2:34
what we have right here is a geological fault line between a very very poor soil
2:39
on
2:39
foreground not a lot of nutrients I love the yummy stuff that plants need to
2:43
survive
2:44
and the background a much richer soil that provides the plants everything that
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they need to get enough
2:49
to make it and harsh environment one of the classic soils that does this is this
2:55
as the Sun so-called serpent and that’s derived from these rocks that are very
2:59
easy to recognize because they’re green
3:01
and knees these soils are very
3:05
like I was saying before very poor in nutrients that the plants need
3:08
are often very dry they’re tough environments for plants and so
3:13
for plants need have very specialized adaptations to survive
3:16
under these conditions and one of the things that’s particularly tough about
3:20
the soils
3:21
is that they contain a lot of heavy metals servant and particulars loaded
3:25
with
3:25
Nicole cadmium chromium cobalt in some cases Mercuria
3:30
lead user as as most people know these are
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elements that even animals like us can really tolerate that well
3:38
and flats have different relationships with them but
3:41
at the same time they’ve they need to adapt and as examples it is all over the
3:45
world this is a
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a.m. what we call that a rape on the island of New Caledonia in your
3:50
Australia
3:50
these very characteristically red soils are
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drive from certain can these are very old soils many millions of years old
3:59
but they’re basically their red because their fourth iron
4:03
but they’re also for other I’m metals that that oxidize to unusual colors
4:08
just like nicole and chromium so this is this is something that happens all over
4:12
the world
4:13
and plants have responded to it and assertive concerted way
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if you look at it in terms of this through circle diagram here
4:20
we have all plants I’m and the world all
4:24
30 for $35 billion her through the night than 3,000 plant species
4:30
on and some of them are tolerant metals the ground it’s also just talking about
4:34
these latter it’s an Acer contains
4:36
and they’re able to tolerate high levels of metal and they’ve become adapted to
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this
4:40
I’m basically by you initially colonizing the soil may be a
4:45
maybe a plan had an adaptation that allowed it to live on that soil
4:48
on that already existed and so I got onto the soil liners
4:51
evolutionary time went by became more and more resistant to
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to that high levels in a collar that high-level have
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hiring next the next stage in this process is what we call metal
5:03
accumulation and so these are plants that are both tolerant metals
5:08
but also the store metals these are the metal munchers that I’m
5:11
our franklin my title these plants basically grow on soils that are high
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and
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that are high and metals and days how they suck them up to their roots and the
5:21
store them in their leaves senator stems and their flowers
5:25
and we don’t we don’t really know why they do this I’m that’s when the things
5:28
I’m trying to figure out as a researcher
5:30
a couple other theories that are out there RM probably the first time that
5:34
you guys thought of which is defense
5:36
here’s a a bug on a flower for nickel hyper accumulator
5:40
this bug is actually highly targeted nickel it evolved
5:44
and adapted to them be able to get his nickel rich plants
5:47
and it it has hired it has levels that nicole and its human lamps that are
5:52
three orders of magnitude higher than a human could tolerate
5:55
so many thousands of times more nickel this plan this
5:58
and second taller than we can I’m
6:02
and spit of course most insects can’t do that most insects in anekal hyperkinetic
6:05
matter Cadman
6:07
I parking lighting plan or selenium arsenic
6:10
Selam and I just immediately die so these plants are
6:14
highly defended by the models that the uptake and other ideas include drug
6:18
resistance
6:19
I’m somebody’s plant store huge amounts of these metals just
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in there in the AM assertive what we call the cell wall
6:27
that’s outside of the cytoplasm so it’s not physiologically active
6:30
and if they get drought stress they can release all that metal into the site /a
6:34
into the AM the F up last outside the
6:37
outside the cell membrane at all was the cell to resist draft to resist drying
6:44
and that’s a and effective fam asthma regulation
6:48
but in any case a African leaders can take up
6:52
where there are perking letters to take up a whole variety of metals
6:55
and hear some of their some other formulas here
6:59
things like I was talking about before cadmium copper arsenic
7:02
goal zinc lead fled again fell
7:05
nickel cobalt chromium is really
7:08
really pretty burly tough medals for for most organisms to
7:12
to tolerate but we know the examples of plants that uptake all of these
7:17
and remarkably there’s actually some plants though uptake most of these
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and there’s three or four examples the plants out there that can picking up
7:24
takeout
7:25
eight or nine of these elements all at the same time
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sir just never just now starting to understand this in terms of evolution
7:32
but me think about I’m you think about these different elements
7:38
these are just just to give you some examples of what these things actually
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look like
7:42
got your some cobalt here chromium
7:46
copper and gold these are just a few examples if the balance that
7:50
we know that plants are capable of accumulating
7:53
on and just to go through some examples to come give this summer
7:57
to reality for yes those two plants that are passed around the ones that I study
8:01
that sense to campus for cialis from California
8:04
and it’s able to a technical to about 2 percent
8:08
ovitz if it’s dry weight if you think about
8:11
2 percent doesn’t sound like very much but if you think about our bodies
8:15
our bodies contain about one ppm
8:19
part per million a nickel so 2 percent
8:23
Nicole is basically about forty thousand times that
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so these are huge amounts of metals compared to a normal organisms can
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tolerate
8:32
another example besides nickel I’m have here at fern
8:36
check put in from my friends is here studies ferns
8:40
on missus terrace and it accumulates arsenic
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these plants were discovered growing and I’m work of cattle dips
8:47
you ever traveled in cattle country I’m but though often do is make a pond
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and I felt upon with arsenic wastewater and I’ll Drive the cattle for the pond
8:57
and the arsenic is supposed to kill all pastor code have the cattle
9:01
on its practice it’s kinda gone by the wayside because they’re contaminating
9:04
soil and causing all kinds environmental problems
9:07
but arsenic sticks around once you’ve done arsenic in the soil it doesn’t go
9:10
anywhere
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it stays there and so these arsenic Ponce’s cattle dips have become
9:15
basically I’m
9:17
hazardous waste sites like you can’t really you can allow animals are
9:22
brown people to get in there because they could arsenic poison
9:25
one of the things I noticed was that this ferns grander nothing else was
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crying in their
9:30
justice for and when they look at issues it turned out that it was not only
9:33
tolerated
9:34
arsenic but accumulating at the huge levels
9:38
I’m another example some people might have heard have are these plants from
9:41
the American Southwest
9:42
this is a a mustard here that accumulates selenium
9:46
and these plants have actually become a huge problem in the southwest because
9:50
this is an area where I’m cattle grazing and ship grazing are very important
9:54
economic activities
9:56
as you can imagine shit comes along and it’s the selenium waste plan
10:00
and is pretty much done for is these plants content sufficient amounts of
10:05
selenium
10:06
you have to kill most organisms and one you know one
10:09
one meal the up one of these plants would be enough to kill a ship
10:13
I’m at but at the same time even when the ship aren’t there
10:16
or are grazing on it directly with this plan is doing is true is a
10:20
concentrating I’m slowing him out of the soil
10:23
so if you to pick up a handful after from Earth where this plant is growing
10:27
it it be fine I meant for him isn’t everything it’s underwater its and
10:31
dust that you free then in your house with this plant is doing
10:34
is preferentially extracting slingin from the soil like a minor extracting
10:39
metal from
10:40
the dirt from the earth and so in this plant decomposes
10:44
it creates a selenium hazard this plan if its 2 percent or 3 percent selenium
10:50
it dies it rots in the surface soil where will be about 1 percent selenium
10:55
miss builds up over time and the other plants take up the Sony
10:58
I’m most points can pick up certain level so have heavy metals not huge
11:02
levels
11:03
this placard but enough to make them potentially dangerous
11:06
in overtime huge acreage is
11:10
was a very large proportion of the desert southwest it’s become
11:13
contaminated with selenium because these plants
11:15
there’s a couple actually invasive species that do this
11:19
I’m introduced species from Europe that are real problem
11:22
and people are trying to control those noxious weeds in order to prevent
11:26
cattle poisoning and other kinds of contamination
11:29
another amazing example if I’m in this case nickel hyper cumulation is this
11:34
plant from New Caledonia
11:36
again Islanders talking about before office because Australia
11:41
this is a stem tip at this point severity acumen audits and the same
11:45
family that represent
11:47
concert producers this milk a sticky latex so if you tear off a couple
11:51
leaves like they’ve done in this picture just no cases starts to come out the
11:55
plants down
11:56
and a normal member at this plant family this stuff would be quite
12:00
be very bright white color but this plant has so much Nicole in itself that
12:05
it actually turns the color
12:06
nickel sulfate my contacts the air
12:09
the setup is 25 percent nickel my driveway
12:13
if you’re too collect leader have this setup
12:17
about a about a thousand grams setup
12:21
250 grams if that would be Nicole that’s the way to two major league hardball
12:26
he played baseball circular for
12:30
a liter OHV have that setup about twice this would be the way it
12:33
we have to baseball waits for the corner
12:37
I’m and this was when people discovered this plant this was
12:40
and paper in the journal Nature the most significant
12:44
journal in science I’m
12:47
and people are just totally captivated by this here’s a here’s a chart for the
12:50
hatchet into the trunk have the same plan
12:52
with this very ominous looking glowing blue collar
12:56
an hour pass around us via love
13:00
this is nickel sulfate this is the
13:03
compound that I use to treat not the points that I study when I’m trying to
13:07
induce them to cumulate nickel notice
13:10
a similarity in the color thats that’s exactly why this happens but because its
13:15
25 percent
13:15
core I’m but these plants this is just one extreme example above
13:20
kind of plant that’s very common in place like New Caledonia cuba
13:24
this is the southern the very southern most tip Caledonia
13:28
and this was the area where a lot of the nickel hyper Kenya leaders were first
13:31
discovered
13:32
when people found this plant severity and a couple its close relatives
13:36
the third they started thinking well or finding a snow is diverse group of
13:39
classes go out and start prospecting for these plants
13:42
as they went to a plant habitats like this and just collected every plant
13:45
vacancy
13:47
contest at the mall for nickel and it turned out that 100 September
13:50
hyperkinetic nickel
13:52
is over 150 species of nickel hyper community plants into Caledonia
13:56
half the total number known in the world another hundred of them are found in
14:00
cuba
14:01
unfortunately I’m an American so i cant go to cuba see them
14:05
but you guys can all get there it’s in its finance if you have that opportunity
14:08
however command at New Caledonia to just an amazing place
14:12
I’m down here is recently back after these buildings
14:15
this is the world’s largest and nickel mine so
14:19
plants and people are after the neck on a card on
14:24
so when we think about I’m so I’ve talked a little bit about some of these
14:27
plants that
14:28
that I’m that much models that take medals on the soil and accumulate them
14:32
in their tissues
14:34
we think about this one of the first things that comes to mind maybe is a
14:38
as a non scientist or per person whose got an interest in science but isn’t a
14:42
basic research you’re like me I just study this because I want to know
14:46
why did it can I don’t care whether we can actually do anything with it
14:49
of course what most people would think of as how will this help people
14:54
on obviously you can help us a lot I’m
14:57
so those four elements that I just showed you there that are on on to the
15:00
hypercube plants are incredibly important
15:03
I’m commodities and Press and in some cases precious metals
15:07
here we have a crime %um a chromium and coated
15:12
drill bit very important industry allows you to harden
15:15
the I’m heard in the steel to make it better it cuttings
15:19
this of course is a chrome-plated propeller on a on a both
15:23
anybody has an fancy fancy Rams on their
15:26
on a car fancy trim on their car would be chrome plated
15:30
and this is a a copper a copper electrical cable
15:34
copper is incredibly important that’s basically where transport over
15:37
electricity
15:38
it’s wet transfer with it splits used in most
15:41
and miss non I’m semiconductor type computer technology inside a computer
15:46
inside your found inside yourself and everything has copper and
15:49
very very important element I’m and of course
15:52
gold I’m gold being wellies and I reserve banks to
15:57
stabilizer economists and also in our computer chips
16:00
it’s a and not a metal that does not corrode
16:04
and so it’s very it’s very valuable for my car components and things like that
16:08
so these are all things that we use I’m but unfortunately
16:12
in order to get these elements we have to do some incredibly destructive things
16:16
to the earth
16:17
this here is a a copper mine Utah
16:20
that is experienced one of the largest man and his plan slides in all of
16:23
history
16:25
and tired 3rd yr serve the side of the super pit mine collapsed
16:29
almost taking with it the the head offices have in mind you can see here
16:33
they escaped by
16:34
problem matter meters and what’s interesting is it appears that there
16:38
actually still there is likely parked vehicles to mister
16:41
that’s in that concerned about it but in any case these enormous super pit mines
16:46
in some cases
16:47
I’m several kilometers Steve I visited the largest put mine in the world via
16:52
the super pit
16:53
in Kalgoorlie Australia its over to call on Thursday
16:57
so you’re standing on remember you look down and these
17:00
is loaders the drive up the Stratos reference to the
17:04
to the surface you know these loaders that can carry a hundred times and
17:08
dirt and the backup number just the specs at the bottom of the pit
17:12
take something like an hour and a half for a letter to drive from the bottom of
17:15
the pit
17:15
to the RAM another amazing example this is the highest elevation mine in the
17:20
world this is in West Papua New Guinea
17:23
on which is now part of Indonesia the remove this mine
17:27
is at four thousand meters elevation its
17:30
over here just to the left there’s actually a glacier which is one of the
17:34
world’s for Equatorial glaciers
17:36
this is an incredibly high incredibly extreme environment here’s the road
17:39
leading up to the mine
17:41
that allows the mine workers who live down here two thousand meters elevation
17:44
for humans can actually
17:46
survive in the long term have to drive up this road every day
17:49
4,000 meters elevation after the pit
17:53
over here there’s a tramway leading from that from that
17:56
the head of the paper they bring the materials to to the
18:00
the slurry the slurry works which i think is here in here
18:04
into the tramlines here to the slurry works
18:07
it’s the world’s largest Freese world’s highest free span tram
18:11
specially built by a Swiss for I’m it descends over 2,000 meters in elevation
18:16
so it’s
18:17
something like three times the height and the span of the tram should write up
18:21
to
18:22
I’m to gross me out and it was built to carry
18:25
though to carry that or the rock from the top here
18:28
4,000 meters down television that could actually make the slurry and from there
18:33
it’s piped over 100
18:34
cooper’s through the largest mangrove swamp world
18:38
to the coast writs of word on the ships and taken to the US China
18:42
and a a bunch of other countries where copper is a very important
18:47
owner it also happens to be the world’s largest gold mine
18:50
for every kilogram of copper to take out after they take out something like an
18:54
ounce of gold
18:56
and so it’s incredibly profitable but
18:59
I was time one of my friends a I’m yesterday actually
19:04
this mine has destabilized the politics of an entire country
19:08
entire province Indonesia this mine is to survive
19:12
this is most of the world’s copper almost all the copper being
19:16
manufacturing mine today comes at this
19:19
for the whole world on there’s copper mines everywhere
19:23
in terms of lots and lots of copper this is where it’s coming from
19:26
so this thing needs to keep going for our conference world economy to continue
19:30
going
19:30
the conference to keep coming out this pit but it’s caused a lot of political
19:34
problems in
19:35
and you get any because people hurt trying to
19:38
advocate for I’m political reform often get certif
19:44
they get harassed by by mineworkers there they ran into problems with the
19:48
government who doesn’t want stability in order for these mines to continue
19:52
functioning
19:53
and so normal political processes can’t really go forward
19:56
this kind of environment I mean I’m a scientist so spry really isn’t my field
20:01
when I look at these these examples of environmental degradation and political
20:05
destabilization I think
20:06
how could I study now possibly help this how can we avoid turning this pristine
20:11
alpine environment slag heap
20:16
and examples of course also New Caledonia this is the
20:20
that nicole minor showing before
20:23
the world’s largest nickel mine they’re set to put in a call
20:27
powered coal-fired power plant here
20:31
it’s going to increase the per capita production of CO 2 in New Caledonia two
20:34
levels
20:35
pattern that are only presently known in the European Union
20:40
so they’re gonna have I think multiply by 10 a factor can
20:43
the amount of co2 being output per capita New Caledonia
20:47
because they’re gonna be burning coal or nervous not the cynical
20:50
so that’s environmental concern if you’re thinking about terms a
20:53
co2 climate change so
20:56
I’m a scientist and so I think what can I do as a botanist you know
21:00
what can I do to help the situation how can I help
21:04
stabilize the world’s I’m politics
21:07
I’m help garment reduce co2 output
21:11
reduce the amount of pollution that we put into the groundwater but here
21:14
on and so of course I it is kinda get this rap is being a little bit crazy and
21:20
I think it’s for good reason we’re we tend to think about
21:24
things in terms of what we can do in and them
21:27
really the sky’s the limit we down we don’t stop to
21:31
think about rational things for and think about practical things we’re
21:36
row about it base the way that things work and we want to figure that out
21:41
we also help people there so in terms of
21:45
have hyper accumulation could help solve these problems I was talking about
21:49
I’m there’s the same diagram before you imagine if we can grow this plan
21:54
I and the presence of these I’m elements we could actually
21:58
grown adults as a crop instead of mining from the earth the way that we do now
22:03
taking the dirt itself and extracting metals from
22:06
we could use the power for the synthesis to extract these
22:10
elements from the soil and I’m
22:13
and really it’s a pretty simple process harvest the fire
22:16
Burnett and you’ve got metal I’m
22:20
was just kinda footer div hello movie called Fido mining
22:23
would actually work I like to think of it more as time
22:27
more as agricultural mining I’m because
22:31
it’s more that you’re using the you’re using the power plants to extract
22:35
it to grow the neck all further the fell amor the gold is a crop
22:40
rather than actually an actual mining technique
22:44
you know we would grow neck all the way we grow so it means for
22:48
for protein so you grow your plant on a metal
22:52
a metal containing soil when every like nickel fell and gold
22:55
everything I’m in some cases you can add complex in agents things like citric
23:00
acid or e.t.a
23:01
is basically I’m kind of pop through the soil
23:06
I’m grabbing onto the Nicole Arthur to the metal ions and line
23:09
plans to take them out more easily we wouldn’t necessarily need to do that
23:12
because most there’s a lot of plants out there like the ones I study that do this
23:15
naturally
23:16
they scavenge nickel from the soil miscavige cadmium from the soil they do
23:20
it very effectively
23:22
from there you can burn the plant material and the process Co generating
23:26
carbon-neutral electricity
23:28
instead of burning coal where they do now
23:31
I’m or you can or you could for men to make him buy a few
23:35
biodiesel biofuels and from there you have this pilot ash
23:40
if anybody’s burned logs in fireplace you know that you get an accumulation
23:44
ash but that ashes as all of these on burnable
23:47
elements that are in a the log sir the plant material whatever
23:51
and the case for hyperkalemia letters I wouldn’t just be things like phosphorus
23:54
and sulfur
23:56
their via a portion of gold and nickel or whatever re
23:59
wanted to have accumulated in there from there you could snuff it to
24:03
and/or on one office go through an example of this a practical example
24:09
for nickel this is actually the plant but I passed around
24:12
I’m struck at this point where it is which is now sitting on
24:17
character this is being grown in a field in over Ana County California
24:21
it’s being deliberately ground by a person who worked for the year
24:25
the for the think US Department of Agriculture and they’re just interested
24:30
in
24:31
can we actually do this could make grow and nickel hyper accumulating plan
24:34
nickel rich soil and harvest Nicole
24:38
answer of course is yes I’m their vigor about a half an acre
24:42
the stuff I’m harvested the whole thing you know just like your harvesting some
24:46
weed
24:46
burned it and Tash and then basically is made an ash slurry
24:51
and loaded into a basically 0
24:54
what I race for my research and Joel Rick an elector for use this device
24:59
and see run a current through the liquid and the
25:02
nickel Matt the nickel ions being charged I’m
25:05
two-plus are attracted to the negative the negative terminal
25:09
over the at the apparatus and want to suck your neck or carry away
25:14
and so these for clothes not a scale here apparently this one’s about the
25:17
size of the and if your thumb
25:19
and this one may be a pinky finger nail sized
25:22
and so they’re able to smell pure nickel out of these
25:26
are these plants using very very low impact
25:29
kinds of processes this was just some
25:33
Nicole rich soil that we have already been destroyed by grazing
25:37
they say that the plan to it they harvested at the same way my her for
25:41
some weight
25:42
and just cashed it and a furnace
25:45
so in terms of for
25:48
bringing this remiss to actual to my actual research
25:53
making me via the crazy crazy scientist here
25:58
I studied to hypercapnia layers and thus in the case of my pets nickel
26:03
I’m the one that passed around a stroke at this political it is
26:07
miss when Hester campus in Cygnus a close relative that we’re comparing to
26:12
it grows on me serpentine soils mostly in California
26:17
and the other in the time studying is this this plastic housing from Australia
26:22
I spent the first half my postdoc in Australia
26:25
researching this guide and occurs quite different habitats
26:28
in this case the Senate is pretty dry subtropical savannas
26:33
see eucalyptus tree your
26:36
classic Australian tree I’m and what I’ve done I’m trying to compare these
26:40
two
26:41
very distantly related genera because they both contain a single nickel have
26:45
particular
26:46
my question is how has knucklehead for accumulation evolved
26:49
sir different nothing and these two separate groups have plans
26:53
they’re very isolated cases nikolai for cannulation there are two close
26:56
relatives
26:57
these plants that are known to have accumulated interest in understanding
27:01
how to the adaptation pop-up out of nowhere at a Burger plants that doesn’t
27:05
even really tolerate nickel how did this amazing trait have hyper Q no technical
27:09
to one or two percent
27:11
if it’s dry wit just come out nothing so it taken these two groups
27:15
so we can hang it kind of a comparative context if we can show
27:19
that the evolutionary process was similar in these two groups that we
27:22
might be able to expand that all the neck hypercube leaders in the world
27:26
many of which are very distantly related I’m here and
27:30
here and adjusting some soil using hydrofluoric acid
27:33
I’m price most dangerous let technique I’ve ever used to consider this
27:37
incredible get up to 10 min pick up and visit me molesters this is not what
27:41
normal sinus actually look
27:42
are in the lab very frequently and flip flops
27:46
runner-up a but this is actually quite dangerous this hunter forecasts edition
27:50
pouring right here
27:52
and about ten years ago guy working this exact lab
27:55
accidentally dont 200 tells us this is lap
27:58
I immediately it through his apron has a chance contacted the scan
28:02
into his bloodstream and proceeded to digest his bones and all his internal
28:06
organs
28:06
he died two days later a floating in a swimming pool
28:10
this is an incredibly tender is a found asset basically with hydrofluoric acid
28:15
does
28:16
is a it releases these very very chemically active foreign Adams
28:20
and they they conveyed I just everything that’s not
28:23
organic which is actually dangerous because they’re just things that most
28:27
that that are very very rich that normally very resistant our bodies
28:31
things like car phones
28:32
I’m and we use it to digest rock because it would it can actually do is
28:37
digest the silicon minerals themselves
28:40
so you can actually you have to use plastic beakers for this stuff because
28:43
its class
28:45
anyway which is something I thought you guys might be interested in because it’s
28:50
pretty extreme science going on right there answer catherine was my sister
28:53
Catherine shoes with me the whole time
28:56
making sure that if i dont under forecasted in myself I didn’t just go
28:59
home and have a beer
29:00
like that other grad student customers last
29:04
I’m here’s catherine looking at some scenes that were going on a petri dish
29:08
we are collected seats for about forty species
29:11
have stackhouse here immigrant them on different on agar
29:15
this sound this base this growth medium and petri dishes to see how
29:20
resistant the different species were technical
29:24
and this is this is the ester campus
29:27
growing here actually the UBC greenhouse and growing these
29:31
I’m going is under control conditions and down
29:34
treating them with nickel taking anger for you know say a
29:38
about a hundred seedlings have nikolai perking up here
29:41
treating have them with nickel on the other half not and I’m
29:44
trying to look at the transcriptome these these plants under
29:48
under those conditions and this we would’ve transcriptome is
29:53
its that the deets how the plant communicates you know from its genome
29:57
from its DNA
29:58
to its actual functions so it transcribes a Jan
30:01
gina is coded into protein and protein goes and does
30:05
cell functions answer question is if we trade half the passive neck on half
30:09
without
30:10
can we look at the different genes that are being produced are being activated
30:14
under this treatment
30:15
and find a difference that’s associated with Nikolai for cannulation
30:19
this is just having a prospecting for potential genes that might be involved
30:23
so we might we’re hoping that we’ll be able to do is identify couple a chance
30:27
or maybe even just one Jan that is actually I’m
30:30
doing this I for cannulation activity
30:34
and why the process on other machines were used to do that is this
30:38
genome sequencer I’m over the last five or 10 years the process is actually
30:43
sequencing entire genomes has become are
30:47
pretty commonplace we have unlimited there’s these missions right here in the
30:50
building
30:51
it’s able to sequence I’m in a single run
30:54
30 billion base pairs have DNS the human genome is about three
30:59
billion base pairs sent one day this thing can sequence 10 human genomes
31:04
sus opened up a lot of possibilities for people like me I can take
31:08
DNA from is different Orem are in and my kids from these different organisms
31:13
run among the sequencer that’s a huge amount of data that they’re able to
31:17
extract
31:18
some very interesting results in terms of how plants evolve
31:22
on how they did after microscale and how they do things like story nickel
31:26
and eventually what we’re hoping is that if we can identify a gene that confers
31:30
nikolai for cannulation
31:32
I’m and this might be potentially controversial but
31:36
as a scientist I think this is a real possibility I’m as potentially cloning
31:40
is chains and other organisms we could
31:42
create genetically modified organisms that are able to accumulate
31:46
the middle specific models that we want weekend Gene Taylor
31:50
organisms to be better miners have no holes to allow us to
31:54
havel smaller footprint on the environment wouldn’t have to build this
31:57
giant mines at four thousand meters elevation
32:00
and pristine rainforest at West who were we would have to destabilize the
32:04
here politics have foreign countries
32:08
it would reduce our reliance on these kinda things in the same way that
32:11
developing our own oil filter dis is our reliance on foreign oil
32:15
and site that’s how that serve the archive my research
32:19
on a day-to-day basis I’m just trying to figure out how to plants evolved how
32:22
they adapt
32:23
have amazing things like nickel hyper accumulation
32:27
developed in a corset diversification
32:30
and don’t think everybody’s help me out I’m
32:34
my my adviser here at UBC learn respect and his lab
32:39
my collaborators in california insurance trust her costar killer
32:43
I’m reno tell who works for that Bureau of Land Management
32:46
US National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society
32:50
provided to the necessary money
32:54
with that I will take questions yes
33:01
you have any questions
33:09
the simple yeah our site
33:10
for yeah a little earlier yes sorry
33:13
that verges us there
33:17
second arson after game I think properly who is this for
33:21
this first week until their they’ve always been able to do that its own
33:25
and so we call earth a a facultative accumulator
33:28
so it grows on soils that don’t have any arsenic and at all
33:31
it’s quite widespread for actually it’s all over the world I’m
33:35
it it just had the straight division with his first we can tell
33:38
and it’s turned out to actually has been found in several other firms so it seems
33:44
to be something that ferns
33:45
have a capacity for I’m not offer ends can do it there’s definitely a few for
33:50
monitors
33:51
see just just can’t so we call premeditation
33:54
most carriers have Nick although I’m early called up again
33:58
you later they only grow and Nicole rich soils and
34:02
and presumably it’s because they evolve that tree as they call as the soil
34:07
the %uh the first very much anywhere the other
34:11
allow this to happen here there’s been a good environment for their founder the
34:14
only thing
34:15
right there is that the only thing capable of tolerance is high levels
34:19
the panels question yeah
34:24
there ferns toward
34:28
s nervous and I’m ever
34:31
put are said anything so I’ll
34:34
I’ll no
34:38
my internets for you have some personal now
34:41
but yell
34:45
way yeah yeah could you could probably find some you wouldn’t want it
34:48
it and I think a rat poison is actually arsenic he gets her
34:52
get your hands on some rat poison well other stuff
34:56
%uh and a and what the the soil
35:00
your rat poison medically amount of money I don’t want your article
35:06
I just really want to take your dog for a so
35:09
fact that I study the collaborative writer that’s up there on the
35:13
on the podium and if they say that affect our to come on in here
35:18
I think fifteen-year I think it doesn’t or so
35:21
adults and that I have a little this is Nicole
35:24
are single person more talks except
35:27
like intercut so at of kill you who just texted
35:32
never you have to use as should open to adjusted
35:35
yeah like there are cool me alright so
35:38
it’s not that tough to hook yeah
35:42
shit right now will have urgent letting dogs yes the servant
35:46
you have a system that’s actually aren’t dangerous
35:50
they’re not say don’t know I think his parents themselves as being
35:53
something when you touch them here you guys tend to go wash your hands or
35:57
anything
35:57
and that’s actually part if you love mining with these plants is that
36:01
individual plants with a toxic I’m
36:04
so delighted to to deal with materials
36:08
mining process less environmentally destructive where
36:12
a Orsino are often
36:16
have such high levels of metals and even after is extracted males
36:20
wanna personal toxic and a question
36:25
your example its more
36:29
worth it this is very her as a player
36:32
mediations yelling yeah yeah there’s actually a examples of these
36:37
as this year good singers over here I come in.
36:42
mine spoil mines mines yeah yet
36:46
the one that they restrict at this point always would be excellent for and
36:50
any mind nickel mine was on circuit and
36:53
I work with about us for that year
36:56
in california is trying to mediate is set up our minds
37:00
in California day to to extract gold
37:03
you have to use a lot of mercurial Easter old school that day
37:07
basically don’t mercury on their mercury scavengers their goal
37:11
annual early earn archery see release a merger in the atmosphere
37:16
you don’t Marjorie into the soil says a credit or
37:20
destructive process that person in mind mercury the company mess too
37:24
and there just turned into anything to grow is archery
37:27
its you go there it’s these mergers mines for put it in the eighteen sixties
37:31
they’re still just their Jersey like Algeria that these financing earlier
37:38
so I’m not sure right here in British Columbia we have is actually serpentine
37:42
soils here
37:43
and I think there might have been some lines as well so the gold this year’s
37:47
process in the servant and
37:49
of class can actually tolerate
37:52
a this smells pretty well so if you just turn if you just read his invitation on
37:56
to the mine site
37:57
I mean so that it’s not washing away going into our supplies
38:01
watersheds miss it’s off to a pretty easy to find
38:05
plants they can do that grasses are a great place to start
38:08
muskrats is a pretty tolerant a is really difficult soils
38:12
kind of more drought-resistant types of plants
38:16
like seeing you guys have seen at this year would be my guess would be a good
38:19
one
38:20
was the one to look for class they’re not really kinda
38:24
resistant to really crummy soils the things that earlier on dry
38:28
experts slope or grow like
38:31
are River better something like that fast and hard
38:35
surveillance drought things like that they’re usually pretty well
38:39
adapted to survive since is tough conditions but
38:43
not fish from it on mister
38:47
think specific specific to answer questions
38:53
jens neither questions are good questions
39:01
yes his
39:11
I think they’d like to minutes ok it’s really compelling
39:14
too compelling idea UK basically know how these things the way that we do
39:19
rubber trees for
39:20
to make tires and even even today you
39:23
if you if you get passed on the road by an 18 wheeler truck all the tires on
39:27
that trucker made with
39:29
that just at forty to seventy percent former
39:32
restoring from a substitute for it so it’s not it’s not a
39:35
inconceivable idea that we could find rosa these trees in half
39:39
rubber tappers out there to happen for nickel I think one of the main reasons
39:43
it’s not actually happening is because I’m
39:46
mining is such an established industry we have we have a lot of good technology
39:50
for reminding me know how to do it
39:52
there’s entire industries that have been built up around the process of minutes
39:56
of the people who built the machines that
39:58
the miss the earth people who purchased the chemicals the report on
40:03
onto the the orange extract the whole sets
40:06
I think that’s been difficult because basically it’s like
40:10
if our walking and don’t mind being like hey guys
40:13
I think having grows corn no give have cervical
40:17
you know it’s good for you talking about you differently from such a completely
40:21
different background
40:22
think this game basically taking up artist and getting them to talk
40:27
and to be able to make sense to minors somethings
40:31
take a long time think we might actually get there
40:34
we did you think about other ethical concerns in our
40:37
are you going to turn over even more and agriculture them you already have
40:43
and it could be potentially destructive to the environment to
40:46
to basically be plowing up here is a physical so elsewhere this
40:50
fell soil these goals soils but on the other hand we have these five years
40:55
every
40:56
for nerd there are proliferating as as our thirst for commodities
41:00
handles I increases so just taking this mine tailings
41:05
ground despite some can be really really easy way to do it
41:09
and the remarkable things these things can extract huge amounts of the call
41:12
from
41:13
very very small not serve
41:16
a factual Nicole so after pickle salt as passing around
41:20
that that vial you know that would be enough for me to treatment our
41:25
experiments and
41:26
each other pressing experiment is accumulating about 1 percent nickel mine
41:30
driveway it’s there
41:31
they’re basically extracting all that said Whitney
41:34
so it doesn’t need to be very rich in its peoples yeah especially for things
41:38
like told
41:39
Sony the plants are incredibly good scavenging this stuff
41:43
they’re not just taking that the few ions that they contact their actually
41:48
releasing
41:49
curing agents into the soil and taking his cue
41:52
its backup survey they really are I think never
41:56
your which is a an amazing here ills
42:00
this his with everything soil
42:06
yesterday you have to get introduced in those again
42:11
example having his balls
42:14
rightful spot Yahoo’s your here group’s
42:18
error your yeah yeah I don’t think there’d be a danger to
42:23
honestly I’m a lot of the neck all
42:26
that’s in the soils actually walked up and girls that’s where those 100
42:30
forecasted I just I was trying to compare the amount of nicole
42:33
that’s what I call bioavailable section are is broken down into its
42:37
into ions in the soil and so the plan to healing
42:41
edge can basically grab onto that I on and created a plan but a lot of tackles
42:45
actually locked up in
42:47
I heard articles I’ve the soil itself and that takes a long time to other
42:52
so as as time goes on this matter particles are weather and breaking down
42:56
into
42:57
the islands and so it’s not it doesn’t seem to be the case
43:00
enough removal either almost all these elements are things that will stick
43:05
around the soil
43:06
especially nickel has further reason why it’s such a big problem thanks to her
43:11
second nickel for contamination
43:13
most other dangerous elements just percolate through the soil
43:16
these things a complex with organic matter
43:19
there for us. there for it and there there there at levels that her
43:24
even extremely even those that we would even consider contamination
43:28
for our goals that is that these plastic covers my of
43:32
it’s pretty it’s pretty remarkable and I treatment plants with I think
43:36
plan fire I
43:39
1 ppm nickel and they’re able to help regulate 21 percent of their graduate
43:44
yeah I think naval nickel or has to be something like two percent
43:48
economically viable sorry decade ago for
43:52
my sense is that you can go for decades and decades of
43:55
there’s just so much Nicole rock mining processes are so efficient
44:00
in order to be cheap enough to make these
44:03
fairly valuables profitable 5 you there


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