[SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN video]
[Watch the video: http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=776291606001][and follow the text below, extracted by Breno Grisi]
The Achatina snail [Achatina fulica] is usually found in the sub-Saharan Africa. This one is it working in Russia. Its task it is to sample the atmosphere at the water treatment plant at St. Petersburg, monitoring air pollution produced by the sewage works incinerator. The living sensor reacts to gases in the air, according to environmentalist researcher [Russian researcher].
When gas concentration changes drastically the molecules get disturbed. It can change relatively and it can behave as a connective one. At the same time the frequency of [...] rates increases, as a matter of fact, this reaction is a test for air pollution.
Scientist are able to monitoring changes in the snail heart beat and behaviour by watching it in real time on a computer screen. This kind of snail can live for up to 10 years, it [...] to 20cm in length. It was chosen for the task because they have lungs and breathe in a similar way to humans. The snails are not being exposed to dangerous levels of gas, says leader researcher [...] Snails are not breathing smoke but a gas with a thousand times lower concentration of the smoke. Why? Because people are concerned about the quality of air outside the plant restricted zone.
Animals have been involved in the environmental monitoring in St. Petersburg before with crayfish tasting water quality in the [Never???] river. Now this not so little snail is joining the effort to clean up the atmosphere. [...]
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