How The Fruit Fly Could Help Us Sniff Out Drugs And Bombs

October 17, 2014

Provided by Jacqui Bealing, University of Sussex

A fly’s sense of smell could be used in new technology to detect drugs and bombs, new University of Sussex research has found.

Brain scientist Professor Thomas Nowotny was surprised to find that the ‘nose’ of fruit flies can identify odors from illicit drugs and explosive substances almost as accurately as wine odor, which the insects are naturally attracted to because it smells like their favorite food, fermenting fruit.

Published October 15 in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, the study brings scientists closer to developing electronic noses (e-noses) that closely replicate the sensitive olfactory sense of animals.

The hope is that such e-noses will be much more sensitive and much faster than the currently commercially available e-noses that are typically based on metal-oxide sensors and are very slow, compared to a biological nose.

Professor Nowotny, Professor of Informatics at the University of Sussex, led the study alongside researchers from Monash University and CSIRO in Australia. He said: “Dogs can smell drugs and people have trained bees to detect explosives. Here we are looking more for what it is in the nose – which receptors – that allows animals to do this.

“In looking at fruit flies, we have found that, contrary to our expectation, unfamiliar odors, such as from explosives, were not only recognized but broadly recognized with the same accuracy as odors more relevant to a fly’s behavior.”

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Concerns grow over farm drugs used like 'sweets'

By Matt McGrath

Environment correspondent, BBC News

The widespread use of antibiotics on farms without medical supervision has been condemned at a meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

There are particular concerns about the US where authorities say it contributes significantly to resistance.

There are also worries that a new US-EU trade deal will see a watering down of tougher European laws on their use.

The OIE says it has tried to broker a compromise between the two regions.

But so far this has been unsuccessful.

It's estimated that 80% of the antibiotics purchased in the US are used on farm animals.

The drugs are given as prophylactics to livestock to help them avoid illnesses that are transmitted easily between beasts confined in large-scale feed lots.

The drugs are also used to boost the animal's weight.

But the large-scale use has prompted concerns that microbes will develop resistance.

Continued

Drugs Leaked Into Rivers Make Fish Antisocial

Douglas Main, LiveScience Staff Writer

BOSTON — Drugs taken by humans can have unintended side effects — on fish, in the natural environment. Turns out, fish fed extremely low concentrations of an antianxiety drug eat more quickly, and act bolder and more antisocial than their un-medicated peers, a new study finds.

"We can see profound effects at the low levels that we find in surface water. Exposed fish are more bold," Jerker Fick, a co-author and researcher at Umea University in Sweden, said at a news conference here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The study looked at the effect of oxazepam (also known as Serax), used to treat anxiety and panic in humans, on the widespread European perch fish. Researchers gave the fish a concentration of drugs similar to that found in rivers and streams in Sweden and elsewhere, according to a study published today (Feb. 14) in the journal Science.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/27150-psychiatric-drugs-changing-fish-behavior.html

Drugs from Gila Monster Lizard Saliva Reduces Cravings for Chocolate and Ordinary Food

ScienceDaily (May 15, 2012) — A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for ordinary food and also chocolate.

An increasing number of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes are offered a pharmaceutical preparation called Exenatide, which helps them to control their blood sugar. The drug is a synthetic version of a natural substance called exendin-4, which is obtained from a rather unusual source -- the saliva of the Gila monster lizard (Heloderma suspectum), North America's largest lizard.

Unexpected effect
Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, have now found an entirely new and unexpected effect of the lizard substance.

Reduces cravings for food
In a study with rats published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Assistant Professor Karolina Skibicka and her colleagues show that exendin-4 effectively reduces the cravings for food.

"This is both unknown and quite unexpected effect," comments an enthusiastic Karolina Skibicka: "Our decision to eat is linked to the same mechanisms in the brain which control addictive behaviours. We have shown that exendin-4 affects the reward and motivation regions of the brain."

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515165405.htm

Animals Getting High: New Book Explores Feeling Good In The Wild

Steven Hoffer First Posted: 06/30/11 01:37 PM ET Updated: 06/30/11 01:37 PM ET

After a long day of roaming the wild, can you blame a bird for throwing back a few fermented berries?

Perhaps not, according to author and neuroscientist David Linden, who says that wild animals will "voluntarily and repeatedly consume psychoactive plants and fungi," much like humans.

In his new book, The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good, Linden discusses an array of wild creatures getting stoned on pretty much whatever they can get their claws on.

The list includes birds, elephants and monkeys that scavenge for naturally fermented berries as well as African boars, porcupines and gorillas that ingest the hallucinogenic iboga plant. There are also goats getting a jump by munching on wild coffee berries and, of course, the infamous magic mushroom-loving flying reindeer.

An excerpt from the book explains:

But do we really know whether these animals like the psychoactive effects of the drug, or are they just willing to put up with them as a side effect of consuming a valuable food source? After all, fermented fruit is a tasty and nutritious meal. While it’s hard to dissociate these motivations in animals, many cases suggest that the psychoactive effect is the primary motivator for consumption. Often, only a tiny amount of plant or fungus is consumed, so while its nutritional effect is minuscule its psychoactive effect is large.

As Linden puts it, "Bob Dylan and Siberian Reindeer Agree: Everybody Must Get Stoned."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/animals-high-drugs_n_887849.html?ir=Weird%20News

Alligator Found Guarding Southern California Pot Farm

Mar 9, 2011 – 1:50 PM
Tori Richards
Contributor

HEMET, Calif. -- When police raided a pot farm in this Southern California desert community, they found an unusual watchdog -- a 4-foot alligator named Wally.

The 55-pound American alligator was found lounging Monday night in a black cement mixing tub located in the back area of a house where 2,285 plants were growing, police said. One man was arrested, and Wally was taken to an animal sanctuary, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

The marijuana was valued at $1.5 million.

The raid happened after anonymous tips were given to police about a possible drug-dealing operation at this suburban tract home. Police visited the house and discovered the marijuana, then returned with a search warrant.

Resident John Nathan Donna, 29, was arrested on suspicion of possession of concentrated cannabis and cultivation of marijuana for sale, the Press-Enterprise reported.

As for Wally, he was turned over to the California Department of Fish and Game, which found a good foster home -- Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, which rescues captive-bred animals such as big cats, reptiles and birds. It is illegal to own alligators in California.

Wally is the same type of alligator found in the Florida Everglades.

"He was extremely healthy -- a little too well taken care of," said Joel Almquist, who runs the sanctuary. "It's still an alligator; some are pretty mellow, but if you get bit by a 3-footer, you're going to remember it for a long time. It's kind of like being bit by a vise with teeth. It's not a pleasant experience."

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/09/alligator-found-guarding-southern-california-pot-farm/

Gang members snort ashes they mistook for drugs

20 Jan 2011
By Gaby Leslie, Yahoo! News

Five teenage burglars snorted human and animal ashes after mistaking them for Class A drugs, it has been revealed.

After a burglary, which took place at a woman's home in Silver Spring Shores, Florida, thieves made off with electronics, jewelry and two urns - one filled with the cremated remains of the victim's father and two for her Great Danes.

Police discovered what happened to the stolen ashes after the suspects were arrested last week in connection with another attempted burglary.

In a statement, deputies from Marion County Sheriff's Office said: "The suspects mistook the ashes for either cocaine or heroin. It was soon discovered that the suspects snorted some of the ashes believing they were snorting cocaine."

Speaking after the burglary, which took place in December, grieving victim Holli Tencza, 35, told a local Ocala news site: "I understand why the burglar took my flat-screen television, the Blu-ray DVD player, laptop computer and jewelry… but there's no monetary value in the ashes, so who knows in this crazy world. I just want them back. I don't care if I ever know who took them."

When the gang members discovered their mix-up they threw the remaining ashes into a lake in fear that their fingerprints were left on the urns.

Marion County Sheriff, Jenifer Fisher Lowe told Yahoo! News: "On Thursday at 11AM EST, underwater divers at Magic Lake in Gail d'Helvie Park recovered two urns containing the ashes of the owner's dog and father."

The ashes were protected by plastic bags inside wooden boxes stored in the urns. The delinquents have been jailed on a number of charges, including burglary.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110120/tod-gang-snorts-ashes-they-mistook-for-d-045b8e8.html

Police seize parrot trained as drug gang look-out

A parrot in the Colombian city of Barranquilla has become a jail-bird after it was seized during a police drugs raid.

According to environmental authorities, Lorenzo the parrot was trying to tip-off a local drug cartel when officers conducted an undercover raid.

"This parrot was sending out alerts," said Environmental Police Officer Hollman Oliveira. "You could say he was some sort of watch bird."

Authorities claim Lorenzo is one of nearly 1700 parrots seized by officials after being trained by drug traffickers to act as lookouts.

Lorenzo caused quite the stir as he was presented to journalists. The well-trained creature even showed off his look out skills as he yelled out: "Run, run you are going to get caught."

Police colonel Freddy Veloza told reporters: "He spent the whole morning saying that".

Despite Lorenzo's attempts, Veloza's officers still managed to seize more than two-hundred weapons, a stolen motorcycle and a large quantity of marijuana.

At least four men and two other birds were also arrested in the raids.
http://news.uk.msn.com/world/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154699050&ocid=today

Snails on crystal meth: The facts

Profs spend days poking hopped-up molluscs with sticks

By Lewis Page
Posted in Biology, 28th May 2010 14:27 GMT

In a development whose importance it would be difficult to exaggerate, scientists have produced research answering one of the great questions facing humanity in the 21st century: what happens if you get snails hopped up on crystal meth and poke them with sticks?

The drug-pushing scientists in question are Barbara Sorg of Washington State Uni and Ken Lukowiak of the University of Calgary. The mollusc they chose for their experiments was the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis.

The two snail savants placed their slimy drug-slaves into pond water which they had spiked with methamphetamine, described as "a highly addictive drug that seduces victims by increasing self-esteem and sexual pleasure, and inducing euphoria".

Having got their slippery subjects well addled on this delightful but damaging chemical treat, Sorg and Lukowiak then tested their memories by means of varying the amount of oxygen in the pondwater and poking them with sticks.

Perhaps we should explain. Low oxygen levels often occur in normal outdoor ponds not laced with illegal narcotics, and in this case the local L stagnalis will extend their "pneumostomes" (breathing tubes) above the surface to get more life-giving oxy.

However, it is possible to train them not to do this by sitting next to the pond or lab tank and poking any suffocating snail which dares to wave its squelchy snorkels. This is actually a standard, widely-used method among biologists for testing snails' intellectual powers.

After a lengthy and painstaking period of sitting in the lab poking snails immersed in various different mixtures of pondwater and drugs, Lukowiak and Sorg report that in fact methamphetamine makes snails' memories much better. According to a statement issued on their behalf:

Memories formed under the influence of meth seem to be harder to forget, possibly because the drug disrupts the mechanisms for forgetting, and could help us to understand how amphetamines enhance memory in humans.

The research is to be published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Sorg and Lukowiak have previously carried out similar studies involving snails on cocaine. ®

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/28/snails_on_crystal_meth/

Cocaine haul hidden in sharks

Mexico's navy has seized more than a tonne of cocaine stuffed inside frozen sharks.

Officers cut open more than 20 shark carcasses filled with slabs of the drug after checking a container ship in the southern Mexican state of Yucatan.

Drug gangs are coming up with increasingly creative ways of getting drugs into the United States - in sealed beer cans, religious statues and furniture - as Mexico's military cracks down on the cartels moving South American narcotics north.

President Felipe Calderon has sent 45,000 troops and federal police across Mexico to try to crush powerful smuggling cartels.

But traffickers armed with arsenals of grenades and automatic weapons are far from defeated, and violence has spilled over into US states like Arizona.

Some 2,750 people have died in drug violence in Mexico this year, a pace similar to that of 2008, when 6,300 were killed.

http://news.uk.msn.com/odd-news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=148059689