'Danger Mice' bred to detect landmines

US scientists have bred mice that they think could be used to detect landmines.

The mice have an increased sense of smell and a chip planted under their skin to alert humans when they come across TNT.

Although using rodents to detect landmines is nothing new, the rats that currently help in Tanzani and Mozambique take nine months to train and cost significantly more than mice to keep.

These mice have been genetically modified so that their sense of smell is five times stronger than normal and when they sniff TNT the chip under their skin will alert professionals who can step in and disarm the explosives.

With more than seventy countries thought to be contaminated by landmines, the mice could provide a huge help with eradicating these mementos of war.