Frog Eggs used for Odor and Gas Detector

Researchers in Japan have created an accurate sensors capable of detecting odors and gases by using frog eggs that have been genetically engineered.  In a journal published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the scientists hope the discovery could design a better machine, to detect polluting gases like carbon dioxide. "This discovery is important for the environment" said Shoji Takeuchi of the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo.

Takeuchi and his colleagues injected DNA from three insects such as silk moths, gnats and fruit flies gold back, into the eggs of the African frog. The merger of the three DNA can be used for detecting insects and the smell of gas.  "We inject the DNA into frog eggs, then we can use a sensor that is cheap and useful." Takeuchi said. The eggs that have been genetically modified is placed in a special cartridge, where so they can detect different chemicals and odors.

"We use three kinds of pheromones and one odorant (four of them are chemically the same) and these eggs could clearly detect the type of chemical smell and different." Takeuchi added. The team is hoping to use the same method to detect gases such as carbon dioxide in the future. "When you think like a mosquito, it's easy to find because the carbon dioxide humans are humans. So mosquitoes have CO2 sensors recipients. Thus we can extract DNA from the mosquito into the eggs of frogs in order to detect CO2." Takeuchi clear.