Microbes-mine detectors
Biologists have trained bacteria to find and "highlight" mines
Israeli biologists have created bacteria capable of finding mines in the soil by traces of explosive vapors and showing them using fluorescent glow, according to an article published in the journal Nature Biotechnology (Belkin et al., Remote detection of buried mines using a bacterial sensor).
"Our field tests have shown that genetically engineered biosensors can be useful in searching for mines in the ground. We need to overcome several more problems on the way to creating a full–fledged system of this kind: increasing the stability and sensitivity of microbes, increasing the scanning speed and miniaturizing the scanner so that it can be put on a drone or drone," says Shimshon Belkin from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In recent years, scientists have been thinking about how genetically modified organisms can be used to solve various everyday or highly specific tasks, where expensive, inefficient or simply dangerous mechanical or electronic devices are used today.
For example, recently biologists have turned plants into a kind of explosive detectors by embedding nanotubes in their leaves, which in the presence of explosives begin to glow in the infrared range. Such systems will either allow you to track terrorists in public places unnoticed, or simplify and reduce the cost of eliminating leaks of various toxic or simply dangerous substances.
One of the main problems of this kind is mines left in the ground of many "hot spots" of the planet after the conflict was over, says Belkin. Every year, as UN statistics show, about 15-20 thousand people die or are maimed from "lost" mines and land mines. Approximately 100 million explosive devices remain in the zones of already forgotten conflicts.
Capsules with bacteria-"mine detectors" and installation for their illumination
Israeli scientists propose to fight such mines with the help of an ordinary Escherichia coli Escherichia coli, whose DNA has been modified in such a way that the bacterium begins to glow in the presence of even microscopic fractions of TNT vapors or its decay products in the air or soil, if illuminated with a laser.
Scientists packed these microbes into special polymer capsules that prevent the "mine detector" bacteria from escaping, but do not prevent the penetration of nutrients and explosive vapors into the nanoparticles. By spraying such particles over suspected minefields and highlighting them with a laser, you can find mines and destroy them.
Belkin and his colleagues tested the work of microbes on a real minefield, where several dozen anti-personnel mines with defused triggers were laid. Now their system is looking for mines at a speed of 18 centimeters per second, which is already a decent indicator, exceeding the speed of a typical minesweeper with a manual mine detector.
Bacteria coped with the detection of all explosive devices, but scientists believe that the "accuracy" of their work and the speed of mine detection can be improved by improving the laser and the DNA of the microbes themselves.
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12.04.2017