Stuart Strand
May 3, 2021
Genetically engineered grass cleanses soil of toxic pollutants left by military explosives, new research shows
![Grasses growing in tubes in the foreground. Two people stand behind them. Another person standing to the right.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/12/05085343/pothos_web006-150x150.jpg)
A team, which includes researchers from the University of Washington, demonstrated that over the course of three years, a genetically engineered switchgrass could break down an explosive chemical in plots of soil at a military range.
December 19, 2018
Researchers develop a new houseplant that can clean your home’s air
![a scientist puts a plant into a glass tube](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/12/05085324/pothos_web002-150x150.jpg)
Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically modified a common houseplant to remove chloroform and benzene from the air around it.
November 22, 2016
New grasses neutralize toxic pollution from bombs, explosives and munitions
![Grass photo](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/11/04145008/Stuart-Strand-Lab-Shots_2114-150x150.jpg)
UW engineers have developed the first transgenic grass species that can take up and destroy RDX — a toxic compound that has been widely used in explosives since World War II and contaminates military bases, battlegrounds and some drinking water wells.