Fluorescent feces are being studied right now at Louisiana State University. The goal is the eradication of Sand flies whose larva eat the fecal matter. The researchers feed rats a chemical that is harmless to them but lethal doses come out in the excrement. To show that this product worked scientists at LSU used dye to track the product and under fluorescent lights even the dropping glowed.
Other studies are also being done to help our troops abroad to fight mosquitoes, flesh flies and Black Legged ticks. This type of research although beneficial to our brave soldiers in uniform will also benefit the rest of the population when the research is done.
Fighting bugs is a “global perpetual need,” said program coordinator Graham B. White of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board. “Even if nobody went to war for a long time, these things would still need to be developed.”
Our brave men and women are putting their lives on the line for our freedoms and way of life but they can’t be very effective if they get sick from an insect borne disease. Kudos to LSU and that comes from a diehard Gator fan.
