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(Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. MIT chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage. The sensor is made from semiconducting cylinders called carbon nanotubes.
