Every so often I am reminded that we live in the future.
No, there are no jetpacks, and no good flying cars. But my cellphone is basically about 2/3 of a tricorder.
And now there are genetically-altered bacteria that you can air-drop over a minefield, and they will glow where the landmines are.
The bugs can be mixed into a colourless solution, which forms green patches when sprayed onto ground where mines are buried.
Edinburgh University said the microbes could be dropped by air onto danger areas.
Within a few hours, they would indicate where the explosives can be found.
But the real kicker? The project is student-led. This isn’t weird-o lab science. This is hands-on learning.
Wow.
Grant Hamilton
3 Responses to “Gentically-modified bacteria glow when they detect landmines”
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Whattaya mean “no jetpacks”? Don’t you read this blog? http://www.absurdintellectual.com/2009/07/22/finally-a-jet-pack-to-hit-the-market/
oh yeah, I meant to link to that. Those, ahem, “jetpacks” are as close to my imagination as the Moller car is to the Jetsons’ cars. A jetpack that’s tethered to the ground is barely worthy of the name.
Now, GLOWING BACTERIA THAT DETECT LANDMINES!
You know if you had an iPhone you’re phone “could” actually be a tricorder…. there’s an app made by Nasa (if I remember correctly) that has an attachment to detect whether or not the air is breathable.
http://gizmodo.com/5403126/one-day-this-will-be-remembered-as-the-first-real-tricorder
To coin a phrase…. “there’s an app for that!”