One of the most common fish in America, bluegill, also known as sunfish or percasol there in Spain, has been recruited in the fight against terrorism in the United States. These rugged freshwater fish, able to elude predators by hiding in submerged tree stumps and survive for weeks without food, monitor water supplies for three major U.S. cities, San Francisco, Washington and New York, where he saved more than 20 million lives in the event of a terrorist attack to be able to detect, in just a few thousandths of a second the slightest alteration in water quality. And it has given false alarms so far. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, U.S. officials fear that terrorists try to poison the water supply with chemicals or other toxic agents, which could kill or sicken millions of people once. Under federal anti-terrorism law, all water systems that supply the cities are subject to extensive controls to prevent security breaches and the water is constantly monitored to detect the possible presence of chemical and biological agents. The question is how do and these three cities seem to have found a cheap, safe and effective.
While this device, called the IAC 1090 Intelligent Aquatic Biomonitoring System-operating successfully for almost four years, had not been released yet. Using a technology developed by the U.S. Army 30 years ago, a science company, Intelligent Automation, ensuring water security for the 20,400,000 people who joined San Francisco, Washington and New York using a small group of fish-no more than eight tanks, which kept constantly filled with the city's water supply in each of these cities.
When mojarras cough
The percasoles, 7.5 centimeters react quickly to small changes in water purity, thereby serving to alert scientists. In the tanks, is monitored by electode fish behavior and their vital signs: the rhythm of your breathing, heartbeat, the way in which they swim and even if they cough. Millimeter sensors detect electrical signals generated by the fish, which suddenly change their movements if there are any toxins in the water, which automatically activates an alarm that notifies the environmental staff by email, pager or mobile phone, while who take water samples.
This alert can stop supply systems water if necessary. As reported by Bloomberg, the bluegills are extremely sensitive to a wide range of toxins, so that the system, which costs 45,000 to $ 110,000, can detect the presence in water of toxic metals, cyanide, and pesticides. When these sentinels of freshwater are exposed to these substances, undergo a kind of coughing, flexing their gills to expel unwanted particles. "This is an early warning system that acts as a first line of defense" the BBC explains Bill Lawler, co-founder of Intelligent Automation Society, based in San Diego.
"A fish alone can not cause an alarm, but if five or six of them are altered much and show symptoms of anxiety is that something is wrong, "says Lawler." It's like when a doctor puts a stethoscope on your chest in search of something that is not normal. The difference is that aquñi, what is seen is the respiratory system of fish, "The Washington Post tells the biologist Tom Shedd, a researcher who helped start the system.
The bluegills in the city of New York have recently proven their effectiveness when they detected traces of diesel in the water before any other devices in the Department of Environmental Protection. However, the system has its limitations. The fish can not alert, for example, the presence of germs and are useless against other types of attacks like the bombing of a water pipe or hacking into computer systems that control the flow of water.
While this device, called the IAC 1090 Intelligent Aquatic Biomonitoring System-operating successfully for almost four years, had not been released yet. Using a technology developed by the U.S. Army 30 years ago, a science company, Intelligent Automation, ensuring water security for the 20,400,000 people who joined San Francisco, Washington and New York using a small group of fish-no more than eight tanks, which kept constantly filled with the city's water supply in each of these cities.
When mojarras cough
The percasoles, 7.5 centimeters react quickly to small changes in water purity, thereby serving to alert scientists. In the tanks, is monitored by electode fish behavior and their vital signs: the rhythm of your breathing, heartbeat, the way in which they swim and even if they cough. Millimeter sensors detect electrical signals generated by the fish, which suddenly change their movements if there are any toxins in the water, which automatically activates an alarm that notifies the environmental staff by email, pager or mobile phone, while who take water samples.
This alert can stop supply systems water if necessary. As reported by Bloomberg, the bluegills are extremely sensitive to a wide range of toxins, so that the system, which costs 45,000 to $ 110,000, can detect the presence in water of toxic metals, cyanide, and pesticides. When these sentinels of freshwater are exposed to these substances, undergo a kind of coughing, flexing their gills to expel unwanted particles. "This is an early warning system that acts as a first line of defense" the BBC explains Bill Lawler, co-founder of Intelligent Automation Society, based in San Diego.
"A fish alone can not cause an alarm, but if five or six of them are altered much and show symptoms of anxiety is that something is wrong, "says Lawler." It's like when a doctor puts a stethoscope on your chest in search of something that is not normal. The difference is that aquñi, what is seen is the respiratory system of fish, "The Washington Post tells the biologist Tom Shedd, a researcher who helped start the system.
The bluegills in the city of New York have recently proven their effectiveness when they detected traces of diesel in the water before any other devices in the Department of Environmental Protection. However, the system has its limitations. The fish can not alert, for example, the presence of germs and are useless against other types of attacks like the bombing of a water pipe or hacking into computer systems that control the flow of water.
