Radioactive Plants

During the cold war, scientists tried to use nuclear physics to improve plants. They would plant crops in concentric circles of radioactive material and then look out for mutations. The aim was to see how much radiation a town had to get before it became safe to eat or replant them. But when they found something that could be used by public science without irradiating anyone else, they did not take any further action. And so we ended up with an arms race which is still raging today.