See related story: Coal-Mine Canaries on a Chip
Slideshow: Coal-Mine Canaries on a Chip
Berkeley scientists are developing a chip that monitors the health of a single cell embedded in it. If the cell dies because of, say, a chemical attack, the chip can give ample warning before casualties mount. By Erik Baard.
This bionic chip updates the 19th-century coal miners' trick of bringing canaries down into shafts. When the delicate birds died from inhaling poisonous gases, the workers knew to evacuate. The chip will detect anything -- for instance a toxin -- that has the ability to kill a cell.Courtesy of Yong Huang
