Fern Fronds Ferret Out Toxins

"The solution to one of man's most vexing environmental problems may lie in one of nature's most remarkable plants. University of Florida scientists have discovered a fern that soaks up arsenic from contaminated soil.The first plant ever found to 'hyperaccumulate' arsenic -- a carcinogenic heavy metal often used as an herbicide -- the fern may prove useful in cleaning up thousands of sites contaminated by arsenic from industrial, mining, agricultural or other operations around the world."