Insects can replace professional dogs

Scientists have said that trained insects can replace professional dogs to detect drugs, bombs and human remains. These insects do not prick people and only take five minutes to train them to smell, instead of spending six months training dogs at a cost of $ 15,000.

Agricultural engineer Glen Rains of the University of Georgia conducted an experiment on insects. He feeds on hungry insects to smell and then feeds them with sugar for 10 seconds and then rests for a minute. As a result, in just 3 repetitions, these insects were aware of the smell.

Business ' insects ' have installed a device that allows scientists to monitor through computer screens and know if they detect specific odors like toxins in corn and legumes. pebbles or explosive chemicals. When they detect a characteristic odor, they fly around the object and show a black dot on the computer screen. Insects can work continuously for 48 hours and live in 2 to 3 weeks.

Rain said the insects could help find explosives at airports, corpses, toxins and diseases such as cancer through the smells from human breath that do not cost too much. Costs like dog training. Rain believes that the 'business insect ' will be available in the market over the next three to five years.

Another study by Professor Jerry Bromenshenk of Montana State University used bees to study coal mines and explosives. He says bees are more suited to outdoor searches while business insects use better in buildings because they do not inject.

BINH NGUYEN