The ability to detect landmines may be getting help from DNA-enhanced bacteria, one of the smallest living organisms on Earth. The bacteria turn bright green when near chemicals that are used to make explosives. The chemicals leak out from landmines as they age.
According to Dr. Alistair Elfick, at the University of Edinburgh School of Engineering, who is leading the research program into the Biobricking (DNA manipulation) of these bacteria, the DNA-enhanced bacteria can be sprayed onto suspected mine fields and within a couple of hours will show the location of landmines. The mines can then be removed using conventional de-mining techniques, which is an extremely dangerous task as the mine location is usually unknown.
Tens of thousands of people, and untold numbers of animals, are killed or maimed every year in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Thailand, Somalia, Mozambique, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Balkans, the Falklands and many other countries where unmarked mine fields have been used in war. Larger animals, such as elephants, buffalo, horses, donkeys, bears, and deer are particularly vulnerable to setting off landmines.
Landmines have been successfully prohibited from production and use in over 158 countries, via the efforts of The International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Ottawa Treaty of 1997. Notably, more than thirty countries still have not agreed to the ban in production, sale, and use of landmines, including the United States, Russia, China, Israel, and India.
Resources
The University of Edinburgh: www.ed.ac.uk
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines: www.icbl.org
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written by Dimitri Georgakopoulos , January 14, 2010