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October 30, 2005

Bugs Against Drugs

Most people associate the ability to be trained or "learn tricks" with more evolved or intelligent creatures like dolphins or dogs, but sometimes one needs only to go back to the basics.

Police dogs can help find anything from drugs to explosives to people. It takes very extensive of training for both the dog and its handler, followed by constant and continued exercises and maintenance.

The costs of efficient canine training courses can be astronomical... Unfortunately purchase prices for quality, commercially trained narcotic detector dogs are presently in the vicinity of $5,000 to $10,000. Well beyond the budgets of most law enforcement agencies

More At: Narcotic Detector Dog-Team Project

Dogs certainly have keen senses, but they are also difficult to manage - possibly because they are more "evolved" - they need constant attention and are easily distracted. Now scientists are turning to some considerably simpler creatures that also have the nose for the job... bugs!

According to researchers, wasps may be ideal for the job of sniffing out drugs and bombs. They can be bred in large quantities and need only 30 minutes of training. The tricky part is harnessing this ability.

Sneaky drug smugglers and terrorists may soon meet their match: a handheld chemical detector powered by trained wasps.

Dubbed the Wasp Hound, the prototype tool houses five parasitic wasps that react to the smells of explosives, illegal drugs, and plant diseases. In theory, the insects' movements set off an alarm to alert authorities.

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Later research revealed that the wasps' olfactory system was directly linked to their taste receptors and that the insects learn to associate certain smells with food or with corn borers.

More at: Drug-Sniffing Wasps May Sting Crooks

Posted by sorsha at October 30, 2005 6:57 PM