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Bio-Detector Scans For 3,000 Viruses and Bacteria

Posted by timothy on from the can't-we-send-it-to-mars-and-settle-this? dept.

separsons writes "Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently unveiled a three-inch-long bio-detector than can scan for 3,000 different types of viruses and bacteria in just 24 hours. The device, dubbed the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array (LLMDA), boasts significant advantages over traditional bio-detectors, which can only identify a maximum of 50 pathogens. The three-inch-long glass slide is packed with 388,000 probes that can detect more than 2,000 viruses and 900 bacteria. The device may have huge implications in identifying agents released during biological and chemical attacks. Plus, in more everyday uses, LLMDA can ensure food, drug and vaccine safety and help diagnose medical problems. Scientists' next version of LLMDA is even more impressive: A new bio-detector will be lined with 2.1 million probes that can scan for 5,700 viruses and thousands of bacteria as well as fungi and protozoa."

6 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. What biological and chemical attacks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

  2. Huge implications by MrMr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The device may have huge implications in identifying agents released during biological and chemical attacks
    Yes, don't we all just hate those attacks we're suffering all the time. Finally the LLNL is spending money where it's really needed.

    1. Re:Huge implications by bcmm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's just how you sell that sort of thing in today's climate. National security is much more interesting than public health, for some reason.

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
    2. Re:Huge implications by mangu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I do believe there's a major ecological disaster underway right now in the Gulf of Mexico teaching us this lesson right now

      Oil spills have happened many times before, check wikipedia for a start. Now give me one example of an intentional biological attack that had any significant consequences.

      They might as well design defenses against an attack of pink unicorns, it has never happened before, but that's not reason to ignore the danger, right?

  3. Re:MDA by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Let's just call it the Microbial Detection Array. I mean, thanks a lot Lawrence Livermore, really, but do you really want a bunch of people going around saying "lambda" because that's how they're pronouncing that crazy acronym?

    It's about funding. The next time the funding for Lawrence Livermore comes up in Congress, it helps to have someone who can say: "Ah, yes, I have heard of them. Um, they make that detector . . . which I don't really understand what it does."

    That's why they need their name in the device.

    Ok, Microbial Detection Array sounds good shortened to MDA . . . or better yet iMDA.

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  4. Re:A consumer version? by misexistentialist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually an at home STD test kit isn't a bad idea