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Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Bzzzzzzzzz

Posted by on December 28 at 11:24 AM

Courtesy of USA Today:

Scientists at a Georgia laboratory have developed what could be a low-tech, low-cost weapon in the war on terrorism: trained wasps.

The tiny, non-stinging wasps can check for hidden explosives at airports and monitor for toxins in subway tunnels.

“You can rear them by the thousands, and you can train them within a matter of minutes,” says Joe Lewis, a U.S. Agriculture Department entomologist. “This is just the very tip of the iceberg of a very new resource.”

Lewis and others at the University of Georgia-Tifton Campus developed a handheld “Wasp Hound” to contain the wasps while they sniff out chemicals and other substances.

Lewis and his partner, University of Georgia biological engineer Glen Rains, say their device is ready for pilot tests and could be available for commercial use in five to 10 years.


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I hear that things like this usually go pretty well.

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