BioExplorers

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BioExplorers, an Israel-based research company, is using mices keen sense of smell to detect drugs, explosives, and other suspect items at docks, border crossings, and airports. The company has developed a system where travelers enter a booth and are hit with a draft of air that is sucked into an enclosure housing eight mice. The mice sniff the air for potentially hazardous materials, and if they detect anything suspicious, they send off an alert. The system has been tested successfully, and the company plans to pilot a prototype in 2013. The founder of BioExplorers believes that the mice can be trained to detect particles related to certain diseases, expanding their use beyond security.