You want weird news? Try this on for size...

[Admiral Donutz]

Hmm but aren't there better candidates out there? Plants that grow like freaking weed in large numbers, in many climates etc. and which aren't too hard to kill off (or perhaps not too dominating over other vegetation and things). I'm not a plant expert but I would simply guess that other plants miight score better then a tabacco plant. Or it might have been the best plant for the job, but it's not really explained. A quote on the pro's and con's of using this plant would have been interesting.

[Crazy Wolf]

Well, I'm no botanist, but it grows fast, not too many things eat it, it is pretty hardy, it is big enough to be able to tell the color from a distance.

Here's a quote:

Originally Posted by Ecoworldly article

The team is part of a joint initiative of University of Stellenbosch and the Danish biotechnology firm, Aresa, which has developed the “RedDetect” bio-sensor technology in a weed called Thales Cress.
The weed changes color from green to autumnal red when it detects nitrogen dioxide leaching from mines buried in the soil.
Because the weed is too small to be seen from a safe distance, the scientists went looking for a more viable alternative, and landed on the tobacco plant, which grows easily in most parts of the world, with a little help from genetic engineering.