Plants that point to hidden ruins

New Scientist magazine- Discovering ancient settlements is often rather hit and miss, but the odds would be improved with a bit of chemical analysis. Plants growing over old sites of human habitation have a different chemistry from their neighbours, and these differences can reveal the location buried ruins.

Plants mostly take in nitrogen from the soil as the isotope nitrogen-14, with just a dash of nitrogen-15. Plants growing above archaeological sites in Greenland, however, seem to have absorbed a larger dose of nitrogen-15. 

I can be fairly certain that this will be the only positive Monsanto's article I post this millennium but I am happy to acquiesce to Monsanto's ability to do some really good stuff  with modified shrubbery but that is not what makes money so...well anyway, pretty cool/creepy that plants can adapt to death so well. (Touch Me) (Touch Me)