The article discusses using plants to clean up soil and water contaminated with heavy metals like lead and selenium. Researchers have tested different methods like using wetlands and hyperaccumulator plants to remove these pollutants. They found that certain plants can absorb and store metals like zinc and cadmium from the soil. By engineering plants with bacterial genes, they can even help clean up mercury pollution. Overall, plants and bacteria play a crucial role in removing heavy metals from the environment, offering a natural solution to pollution problems.