Kazakhstan to start microchipping Caspian seals included in the Red Data Book. Nanotechnology will be used for this process. Currently, Kazakh scientists are developing special sensors together with specialists from Saudi Arabia. The devices will provide data on the migration and habitats of the seals. The implanted microchips will allow tracking the temperature of animals, their speed and even their stress levels in the environment. In January a group of experts is planning to go on an expedition to the Caspian Sea. They will study the population of seals, as well as microchip them. Overall, up to 20 animals will be marked.
“These sensors are made of graphene, the most in-demand nanomaterial in the world of nanotechnology. It is a one-atom thick layer of carbon, the thinnest material in the world. It’s 100 million times smaller than a sheet of paper, but still stronger than steel and stiffer than diamond. So, we’ve developed a laser-induced graphene that can be used to make different sensors for monitoring sea life,” Altynai Kaidarova, chief researcher of the Caspian Seal Research and Rehabilitation Center, said.
