The discovery was reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. A crystalline chemical, arsenic is one of the best known poisons. It has often been the poison of choice in the arts, as in the classic film Arsenic and Old Lace. Arsenic taints many sources of drinking water in the United States and abroad. People who drink arsenic-contaminated water over long periods are believed to run a higher risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as other heart and lung ailments.
Some arsenic is naturally present in soil.
It also comes from some farm chemicals, wood preservatives and other industrial products. Ma said that, unlike many ferns, this one likes the sun. It could potentially be cultivated in water and act as a natural arsenic filter. And the fern's arsenic-loving genes could potentially be spliced into other plants. Some plants are already used to remove other pollutants from the environment, a process known as phytoremediation.