BACTERIA IDENTIFY LAND MINES

BACTERIUM BALLS SPREAD

1 At night, alga balls filled with GM E. coli bacteria are spread across locations, which are suspected to contain mines.

LIGHT IS SWITCHED ON

2 After three hours, the bacteria have identified small deposits of the TNT explosive. The deposits make them produce the GFP protein, which emits fluorescent light, when balls are illuminated by beams from a laser-based scan system such as from a drone.

LIGHT REVEALS MINES

3 Drone cameras map out the shining pearls that indicate the presence of land mines within 2 m, and sweepers remove the mines.