Scientists at the University of California, Davis are working to turn an invention for testing wine inside glass bottles into a system capable of detecting liquid explosives at airports.

If successful, the experiments could spell the end for a ban on liquids on airplanes. Passengers have been forbidden from bringing water bottles, soda cans, and other items through security checkpoints since 2006, when the government first issued warnings about the threat of liquid explosives on airliners.

The technology was first used to test whether wine (still in a sealed bottle) had turned into vinegar. After realizing the invention could be used for more practical purposes, researchers at UC Davis wrote a proposal letter to the Department of Homeland Security and were awarded an $800,000 grant to continue the study. 

While scientists have already made headway in detecting items in plastic and glass bottles, they are now working to detect liquids in aluminum cans. 

Source: Mercury News

Flickr: eddie.welker