"Dip Chip" Technology Tests Toxicity On-the-Go Monday, May 14,
2012 Biosensor warns of toxicity in real time, says TAU
researcher From man-made toxic chemicals such as industrial by-
products to poisons that occur naturally, a water or food supply
can be easily contaminated. And for every level of toxic
material ingested, there is some level of bodily response,
ranging from minor illness to painful certain death. Biosensors
have long been used to safeguard against exposure to toxic
chemicals. Food tasters employed by the ancients acted as early
versions of biosensors, determining if a meal had been poisoned.
More modern examples include the use of fish, which may alter
their swimming characteristics if a toxic material is introduced
into to the water. But although current warning systems are more
sophisticated, they require equipment and time that a soldier in
the field or an adventurer in the wilderness do not have. Now
Prof. Yosi Shacham-Diamand, Vice Dean of Tel Aviv University's
Faculty of Engineering, alo