Scientists have created a plant that naturally produces anti-cancer chemicals, and I have to ask: if they have any wishes left in the magic lamp that made this dream possible I'd like a warp drive or some kind of robot Angelina Jolie cheerleader. Seriously, this idea is the greenest technology since Captain Planets recycling bin.
MIT researchers led by Professor Sarah O'Connor have genetically engineered a periwinkle plant to produce anti-cancer compounds. She also appears confident that she can evade SKYNET - you might think that sticking an 'O' in your name isn't much defense against Terminators, but you have to remember how fussy computers are about syntax.
Periwinkle naturally generates useful medicines like vinblastine, but the team have altered it with mutant enzymes to produce new and improved artificial elixers. At this point we have to hope that it doesn't turn evil, because seriously: curing cancer. That's the sort of thing that always has scientists screaming "But think of all the good it could do!", preventing anyone from destroying the vegetable-muto-murderer while it's vulnerable and next thing you know it's grown ten foot tall and killed half the (strangely isolated) research station.
Such pharmaco-ferns could pull the best pun in medical history, replacing expensive pharmacological production plants with actual free growing plants - producing vital medicines for a fraction of the cost. The team currently have one mutant periwinkle plant, with plans to design and produce many more. So the next time someone says that things don't grow on trees, point out that it's only because we haven't genetically engineered them yet.
