Poplar tees, inoculated with a probiotic, degraded the carcinogen, trichloroethylene, TCE, at a California contaminated site.  Sharon Doty, University of Washington, is using phytoremediation  as inexpensive green technology for  cleaning soil and water pollution from the environment. Plants naturally contain pollutant destructive bacteria, a process called phytoremediation. Doty soaked poplar tree cuttings with a probiotic that degrades TCE. The Poplars treated grew faster and larger than untreated trees. The water tested downstream was below EPA standards of safety.

Chemical and Engineering News, September, 11, 2017.

The Arctic, non browning apple is the first G MO apple approved by the USDA. This new variety will be  available in markets in 2016, labeled Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny. Non browning is achieved by gene silencing, reducing the amounts of poly-phenol oxidase that causes browning. Okanagan Specialty Fruits, who parented this apple, says the nutritional value is comparable to other apples.

In fact, a 2003 survey proved wild apples to have 475 times more phytonutrients than commercially produced apples. The least nutritious varieties include Empire, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady and Fuji. Other commercial varieties and wild apples contain as much as 80 times more cancer compounds than the ones previously listed .Fuji, the most popular apple today, contains almost no phytonutrients to fight cancer and is also at the top of the list of the least nutritious apples. 

The most nutritious apple originates from New Zealand, Called Monty's Surprise.This variety produces the most phytonutrients that reduce or destroy most cancer cells, especially colon cancer. New Zealanders call it the Full Monty. Hopefully, these apples will be available by the time Arctic apples appear in 2016.

Sources: Chemical and Engineering News: Coming Soon: Non browning Apples, Britt Erikson, Feb 23, 2015

Eating On the Wild Side, Jo Robinson, 2014.