According to the United Nations, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are injured or killed by landmines that litter more than 80 countries including Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The bacteria would likely fail to identify those mines that do not leak, and would detect chemical remnants where mines were once, but are no longer, active. But as the students’ advisor, Alistair Elfick points out, “this anti-mine sensor is a great example of how innovation in science can be of benefit to wider society.”