Could wasps sniff out chemicals from unexploded ordnance or nerve-gas toxins?
Lewis team is using a model system to demonstrate the detection of chemicals associated with aflatoxins, which are naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by certain types of mold, such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Some strains of these Aspergillus species produce aflatoxins, and others dont. Parasitic wasps can differentiate between toxin- and non-toxin-producing molds and could prove useful in testing harvested peanuts and corn for the toxin-producing ones. Current methods to test for aflatoxins are limited, time-consuming and expensive. Wasps can be trained to detect any chemical by using their natural instincts to find food by scent. Mimicking nature, scientists feed sugar water to wasps while exposing them to the chemical scent to be tracked. During this process, wasps learn to link this chemical scent to food. This mechanism is called “typical associative learning.” To test for chemicals, wasps are placed in a container with a small hole, and air is passed over the w
