Self-Propelling Microparticles Spot Ricin In Minutes (acs.org) 21
ckwu writes: Tiny rocketlike particles that move around on their own in a hydrogen peroxide solution can detect trace amounts of the lethal toxin ricin within minutes. The tube-shaped, microsized particles--made of graphene oxide lined with platinum--carry sensor molecules that glow when they bind to ricin. In a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution, the platinum catalyzes the breakdown of the peroxide into water and oxygen. The oxygen bubbles shoot out one end of the tube, propelling them in the liquid like little rockets. The swimming motors could actively seek out ricin in a sample and speed up detection, paving the way towards a quick, easy way to detect the bioterrorism agent in food and water samples (without having to bring them back to a lab).
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As if the BigMac and the supersize soda hadn't been lethal enough already.
Quite frankly, if statistics are any indicator, we should be deathly afraid of fast food rather than terrorism.
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Exactly....like he said....why?
This is exactly the response I would expect.... ridiculous fear. This is a movie plot risk. It is a risk so rare and so ridiculous that the detector has no value at all.
Maybe something useful will come out of the research, but the stated goal is clear: To use bullshit excuses to get money to fund the lab.
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real life == dead ricin cook (Score:2)
Ricin is one of those perennials, scare the folks in Topeka, get the nuts to kill themselves chasing 'easy solution'.
The traditional way for the cops to find out about a ricin cook is when he/she starts to smell. 'Anarchists Cookbook' instructions being particularly fatal.
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He isn't saying that. However....those other applications are 100% of the actual benefit to anyone.
The ONLY reason they are using ricin, is because they want some of that Fatherland Security gravy train. Nothing brings in the dollars like unfounded stupid fear. Its a recession proof industry.
drats...foiled again! (Score:2)
Better headline (Score:4, Funny)
More "blundering" than "seeking out", I think (Score:3)
This is a pretty cool concept, but I'm having some trouble convincing myself that nanoscopic swimming platinum/graphene tubes are really THAT much more effective than just, um, agitating the sample with the fluorescent agent?
Yes but... (Score:2)
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Especially if the ricin was in chocolate or a burger or something tasty like that.
I'm not waiting MINUTES for the test to finish. I want food now!
Re: Minutes .. you'd be Dead Jim (Score:2)
and now the post-mortem can be done in minutes.
Ricin in Minutes? (Score:2)
If you keep you minutes in digital format and the members read them online, there'd be no way that anybody could get any biological orr chemical agents spread that way.
Sure (Score:2)