论文部分内容阅读
黄蜂又称胡蜂，雌蜂尾端有长而粗的螫针与毒腺相通，螫人后将毒液射入皮肤内，但螫针并不留在皮内。雄蜂不螫人。这种动物虽小，也有其独特的价值，让我们一起来看看科学家是怎样招募黄蜂工作的。
Scientists have developed what could be a low-tech, low-cost weapon in the war on terrorism1: trained wasps. The tiny, non-stinging wasps could check for hidden explosives2 at airports and monitor for toxins3 in subway tunnels.
“You can breed them by thousands, and you can train them within a matter of minutes,” says Joe Lewis, a U.S. Agriculture Department entomologist4.
Lewis and University of Georgia biological engineer Glen Rains developed a handheld “Wasp Hound” to contain the wasps while they sniff out chemicals and other substances5. Rains says the wasps could one day be used instead of dogs to check for explosives in cargo container coming in to the nation’s seaports, in vehicles crossing at border checkpoints, at airports and anywhere else where security6 should be tight.
“It’s real easy to learn how to work with them,” he says about the wasps.
How wasps work
The wasps are trained with sugar water by using the classical conditioning techniques made famous by Pavlov’s dogs7. According to Rains, the wasps are sensitive8 to a host of chemical odors, including TNT, a volatile9 compound used in dynamite.
To do their work, five wasps---- each a half inch long---- are placed in a plastic cylinder that is 15 inches tall. This “Wasp Hound”, which costs roughly $100 per unit, has a vent in one end and a camera that connects to a laptop computer.
When the wasps pick up an odor they’ve been trained to detect, they gather by the vent---- a response that can be measured by the computer, or actually seen by observers. Lewis says the wasps, when exposed to some chemicals, “can detect as low as four parts per billion, which is an incredibly10 small amount.”
Lewis and Rains say their device is ready for pilot tests, and could be available11 for real-life applications in five to 10 years.
科学家在对抗恐怖主义的战争中发展出一种可能低科技、低成本的武器：受过训练的黄蜂。体型纤小、不螫人的黄蜂可以在机场检查隐藏的炸药以及在地铁隧道里侦测是否存在着有毒物质。
美国农业部的昆虫学家乔·路易斯说：“你可以养殖数千只黄蜂而且可以在几分钟内就训练好它们。”
路易斯和乔治亚大学的生物工程学家葛伦·瑞恩斯研发出一种手持的“黄蜂猎器”，把黄蜂装在里面，让它们靠嗅觉查出化学物品和其他物质。瑞恩斯说有朝一日黄蜂可以取代警犬，负责检查一国进入海港的货柜、越过边界岗哨的车辆、机场和其他任何需要严密保全的地方有无爆裂物。
“学习如何跟它们一起共事真的很容易。”他谈到黄蜂时这么说。
黄蜂的工作方式
以糖水训练黄蜂用的就是那使用巴甫洛夫的狗做实验而变得有名、已成经典的制约技巧。照瑞恩斯的说法，黄蜂对多种化学物品的气味都很敏感，包括黄色炸弹在内，这是一种容易挥发而造成爆炸、用于炸弹的原料。
执行工作时，把每只身长半寸的五只黄蜂装在15寸高的塑胶圆筒里。这种“黄蜂猎器”每个成本约100美元，一端有通风口，并有一台摄影机与手提电脑相连。
黄蜂闻到它们受训练要侦察的气味时，就会集合在通风口——这一反应可以用电脑测知，也可由观察者目测获知。路易斯说黄蜂接触到某些化学物质时“只要十亿分之四的浓度就能侦测到，这是低得难以想象的剂量”。
路易斯与瑞恩斯说他们的设备已可进行测试，在5~10年内或许就能实际应用。
乔宇 摘自 Advanced
Scientists have developed what could be a low-tech, low-cost weapon in the war on terrorism1: trained wasps. The tiny, non-stinging wasps could check for hidden explosives2 at airports and monitor for toxins3 in subway tunnels.
“You can breed them by thousands, and you can train them within a matter of minutes,” says Joe Lewis, a U.S. Agriculture Department entomologist4.
Lewis and University of Georgia biological engineer Glen Rains developed a handheld “Wasp Hound” to contain the wasps while they sniff out chemicals and other substances5. Rains says the wasps could one day be used instead of dogs to check for explosives in cargo container coming in to the nation’s seaports, in vehicles crossing at border checkpoints, at airports and anywhere else where security6 should be tight.
“It’s real easy to learn how to work with them,” he says about the wasps.
How wasps work
The wasps are trained with sugar water by using the classical conditioning techniques made famous by Pavlov’s dogs7. According to Rains, the wasps are sensitive8 to a host of chemical odors, including TNT, a volatile9 compound used in dynamite.
To do their work, five wasps---- each a half inch long---- are placed in a plastic cylinder that is 15 inches tall. This “Wasp Hound”, which costs roughly $100 per unit, has a vent in one end and a camera that connects to a laptop computer.
When the wasps pick up an odor they’ve been trained to detect, they gather by the vent---- a response that can be measured by the computer, or actually seen by observers. Lewis says the wasps, when exposed to some chemicals, “can detect as low as four parts per billion, which is an incredibly10 small amount.”
Lewis and Rains say their device is ready for pilot tests, and could be available11 for real-life applications in five to 10 years.
科学家在对抗恐怖主义的战争中发展出一种可能低科技、低成本的武器：受过训练的黄蜂。体型纤小、不螫人的黄蜂可以在机场检查隐藏的炸药以及在地铁隧道里侦测是否存在着有毒物质。
美国农业部的昆虫学家乔·路易斯说：“你可以养殖数千只黄蜂而且可以在几分钟内就训练好它们。”
路易斯和乔治亚大学的生物工程学家葛伦·瑞恩斯研发出一种手持的“黄蜂猎器”，把黄蜂装在里面，让它们靠嗅觉查出化学物品和其他物质。瑞恩斯说有朝一日黄蜂可以取代警犬，负责检查一国进入海港的货柜、越过边界岗哨的车辆、机场和其他任何需要严密保全的地方有无爆裂物。
“学习如何跟它们一起共事真的很容易。”他谈到黄蜂时这么说。
黄蜂的工作方式
以糖水训练黄蜂用的就是那使用巴甫洛夫的狗做实验而变得有名、已成经典的制约技巧。照瑞恩斯的说法，黄蜂对多种化学物品的气味都很敏感，包括黄色炸弹在内，这是一种容易挥发而造成爆炸、用于炸弹的原料。
执行工作时，把每只身长半寸的五只黄蜂装在15寸高的塑胶圆筒里。这种“黄蜂猎器”每个成本约100美元，一端有通风口，并有一台摄影机与手提电脑相连。
黄蜂闻到它们受训练要侦察的气味时，就会集合在通风口——这一反应可以用电脑测知，也可由观察者目测获知。路易斯说黄蜂接触到某些化学物质时“只要十亿分之四的浓度就能侦测到，这是低得难以想象的剂量”。
路易斯与瑞恩斯说他们的设备已可进行测试，在5~10年内或许就能实际应用。
乔宇 摘自 Advanced