A CHEMICAL sensor has been developed that is so sensitive it can detect just one molecule of an environmental toxin or warfare agent.
The detector is modelled on the tiny openings that let ions in and out of the cells in our body. These openings, called ion channels, span the walls of human cells. A thin protein flap guards each opening, and in nerve cells the flap can be controlled by neurotransmitters. When a neurotransmitter binds to a site in the channel it pushes open the flap, letting ions flow into or out of the cell.
Hagan Bayley of Texas…
