Computational model offers insight into mechanisms of drug-
coated balloons. CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--An MIT scientist and
colleagues have found the first direct evidence that metal
particles carried in the wind from industrial sources are
involved in forest decline in the mountains of New York,
Vermont, and New Hampshire. Heavy metals like copper, cadmium
and lead have been implicated before in the death and damage of
trees, but until now there has not been a direct link. Past
studies have only shown that patterns of where metal pollutants
are deposited correspond to patterns of damaged trees. In the
new work, reported in the May 2 Nature, the researchers measured
the concentration of a compound produced by all plants, from
redwoods to yeast, that is an indicator of metal stress. The
concentrations of this compound, known as phytochelatin, matched
observations of tree health: higher amounts were found in sicker
stands. The researchers are James E. Gawel, a doctoral student
in the Department of Civil and Environmenta