Bugs may become bloodhounds

Bomb-sniffing dogs may someday be replaced by specially-trained insects,thanks to studies underway at Iowa State University. Fast-flying wasps arebeing trained to seek out certain smells like bombs, land mines andfactories where toxic killers like anthrax are made. I-S-U entomologyprofessor Tom Baker says his colleagues are seeing much progress, thoughit’s not all for the sake of national defense and anti-terrorism. Bakerhopes the research can eventually apply to farming by using wasps topinpoint where other insects are damaging fields. He says the tiny insectscan be tracked using modern technology:.Tiny radar tags can be placed on the wasps, so they can be tracked andspotted as they congregate on whatever they’ve been trained to sniff out.The research is being funded by the Department of Defense.