Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, Apr 1st, 2010,
APOPO is an organization that uses specially trained African Pouched Rats to detect landmines in Mozambique. It was founded by Belgian Bart Weetjens, who is both a Buddhist monk and a rodent enthusiast. A business and registered charity in Belgium that is headquartered in Tanzania, APOPO’s self-described vision ‘is to develop appropriate detection technologies, to empower vulnerable communities.’ It does this with the help of ‘Hero Rats.’ From a BBC News report: Rats, according to Apopo, are much faster than men using metal detectors and are not distracted by metal contaminants. They are much cheaper to maintain than dogs and…
Tags: Africa, APOPO, Bart, Business, hero rat, hero rats, landmines, mines, Mozambique, rats, Weetjens
Science & Technology, Nov 24th, 2009,
Have you ever been told war stories over and over again by one of your relatives? Did they ever mention any injuries or deaths that happened courtesy of landmines? If so, you may be interested in the latest scientific developments. Thousands of people and animals are killed or wounded every year, thanks to landmines. Many of the landmine fields remain unmarked in places like: Iraq, Vietnam, Somalia, Cambodia and the Falklands. However, there may be away to detect landmines—before setting them off—by using DNA-enhanced bacteria. Landmines contain chemicals that are used to make explosives. These chemicals leak out from the…
Tags: bacteria, landmine detection, landmines
