The complexity and cost of clearing land mines, which are still responsible for to twenty to thirty thousand casualties a year, has lead to a microorganism based detection method that should speed the location mines.

The New Mine Detection Technology
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have engineered a bacteria using the latest BioBrick technology. BioBrick an open source technology of the BioBricks Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by engineers and scientists from MIT, Harvard, and UCSF. Simplistically stated, it offers the ability to introduce standardised strands of DNA with known function into bacteria.

 In this case the Bricks gave the ability to detect the chemicals leaked by buried explosives and to produce chemicals that cause it to glow green. Linking these new functions together produces a safe, easy to grow bacteria that after application to the ground in a coulourless liquid glows green within a few hours. With the location of the mine noted, de-mining can be undertaken quickly without the risk of undetected mines.

This development was run as a technology demonstrator and there are no initial plans to implement the technology.

The Need for New De-mining Technologies
The magnitude of the mine problem indicates the need for improved technologies. There are  still around a million mines requiring removal. Mines which cost as little as $3 require between $300 and $1,000 to remove them.

The 2009 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects published by UN. UNDP & UN identified 300 projects with a combined budget of US $459 million for 2010. At this time they have only received 5% of this amount.

Land mines have been cleared from 3,200 square kilometers (1,236 square miles) in 90 countries over the last decade, however almost the same area still needs to be de-mined

The United Nations state that “In addition to inflicting physical and psychological damage on civilians, land mines disrupt social services, threaten food security by preventing thousands of hectares of productive land from being farmed, and hinder the return and resettlement of refugees and displaced persons.”

One of the difficulties is that the removal of mines as well as being dangerous is very time consuming which makes it expensive. Part of the problem is finding the mine which when using traditional mine searching requires a slow and very systematic approach. Technologies which reduce this time consuming process and give a high detection rate and low false positive rate would be very useful.

The Range of De-mining Technologies
While the metal detector was originally the tool of choice, the use of non metallic materials and the high false reading level, has called for other detection methodologies. Robots and other mechanical systems have been developed to protect the de-miner from harm but are far more expensive that other methods. Other physical solutions such as ground penetrating radars, acoustics and chemical analysis are also possible.

The alternate biological solutions are based on the detection of the chemicals released by mines. One widely used method used in Tanzania and Mozambique is the use of rats to detect and indicate the location of a mine. The so called Hero Rat like a dog, which are also used, locates the mine by smelling the chemicals associated with a mine. Unlike dogs they are light enough not to set off the mine. Bees have been trained to visit points of high chemical concentration in minefields.

Recently, biotechnologists in Denmark have developed an engineered variety of watercress which turns red when it detects the chemical byproducts of mines. Seeds which require a particular fertiliser to grow (ensuring they do not spread) would be broadcast over the area to be de-mined and allowed to grow for 4 to 6 weeks.

Taking Action
While it can be argued that the actual cost in lives is small compared to poverty, water supply and disease the levels of horror and fear are high. To see what you can do start at the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a nobel prize winner, focussing on treaties to ban mines and Mine Action which has more of a focus on addressing the damage.

Source: GO Media - Written by Dave Harcourt - Photo by Myles Cullen on Wikimedia Commons in the public domain.

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more military industrial crap
written by glenn , November 25, 2009

Another stupid idea - spread GM organisms all over the place in the name of progress instead of banning mines as is widely supported by most civilised nations, except of course the USA, UK, SA, etc.
Better still avoid war.....
You can fool some of the people some of the time..........

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