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The article focuses on a research by Colorado State University, according to which, plants can subtly change color when exposed to minute amounts of chemical called TNT in the air. A computer-designed detection trait was enabled by professor June Medford and her team in the Department of Biology, to work on a plant by rewiring its natural signaling process so that it turns from green to white when chemicals are detected in air or soil.

The article reports that scientists in Germany are developing a new generation of explosives that is more powerful than TNT and other existing explosives, less apt to detonate accidentally, and produce fewer toxic byproducts. To meet the need for greener and safer explosives, researchers Thomas M. Klapotke and Carles Miro Sabate have used a material called tetrazole which derives most of its explosive energy from nitrogen instead of carbon.

This article reports on trends and developments in the aerospace and defense sectors in the U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel in Iraq are now using iRobot's Packbot Fido, a robotic sensor system that detects TNT from a distance of 80 meters in 60 degree weather. The Extended Range Multi-Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system from General Atomics will have a Preliminary Design Review in February 2006.