Genetically modified plants that call in reinforcements when they are under threat of being eaten have been developed by researchers in the Netherlands and Israel.
Iris Kappers at Wageningen University and Asaph Aharoni at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot genetically modified Arabidopsis plants to give off chemicals called terpenoids to attract insect "bodyguards". When they arrive, the insects prey on other creatures that might be tempted to feed on the plants. The researchers introduced a gene from strawberries to do the job, according to a report today in the journal Science.
