This is old, old news. From 2002, even. :p And yet, this is the first I heard of it.
—– Begin Quote
The two University of Texas researchers have developed a way to draw gold from wheat, alfalfa, orbest of alloats.
No spinning wheel required. In this day and age, a simple solvent will suffice to turn homely vegetation into a source of precious metals.
But if you’re thinking of quitting the day job and buying an alfalfa farm, don’t be too hasty. The quantities of gold at stake won’t quickly cover the cost of a harvesting combine.
The yields, in fact, are microscopic. The gold appears as particles mere billionths of a meter wide.
—–End Quote
So it’s still at the less-than-efficient-for-practical-purposes stage, but imagine what can happen in the next hundred years. Or, well, imagine what can happen in the next hundred years in a science fiction novel. :p
