Scientists hung clean moss beside three Russian highways, and the plants began collecting metals linked to traffic pollution

• Image: CanvaResearchers in Russia hung bags of moss beside three busy highways to see how much traffic pollution the plants would soak up.
• Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the study exposed moss collected from a clean background site to roadside air along the Leningradskoye, Yaroslavskoye, and Dmitrovkoye highways in central Russia.
• After analysing the moss for sixteen elements, the researchers found that traffic-related metals had built up in the plants, with pollution levels varying sharply between the three roads.