Using a special x-ray technique, researchers from Australia found traces of gold in the leaves, twigs, and bark of some trees. But don’t expect to get rich quick on leaves. You would need 500 trees to get enough gold to make a gold ring. However, there’s more wealth in what’s buried beneath. The scientists say they believe larger deposits of gold are buried beneath the ground of the trees and the trees are acting as sort of a hydraulic pump. As the tree brings up water from the ground by its roots, some dissolved gold is also being taken up and passed into the foliage. They’re just soaking up the riches! The researchers said examining foliage for gold would be a less expensive and more environmentally friendly way to determine where to dig for gold rather than the guess-and-test method of exploratory drilling.
[ Read the Article: Scientists Use Eucalyptus Trees To Hunt For Gold ]