LONDON, July 4: The Pentagon is developing a stink bomb to drive away enemy troops or hostile crowds, the magazine New Scientist said on Wednesday.
Stench warfare could form a key part of the U.S. non-lethal weapons programme and provide police with an extra means of dealing with the kind of rioting that has disrupted recent summits of world leaders.
It would give us an offensive capability against large and unruly
groups of people, if they are unwilling to move or are openly
hostile,
New Scientist quoted a Pentagon spokesman as
saying. And it would minimise the risk to our people and to the
antagonists.
Researchers said there was a close link between nasty smells and fear,
as a bad smell can activate tissue deep within the brain. The
perfect
stink for defence purposes would be one that triggered
an emotional response in humans. The problem is that odours can
provoke varying reactions in different people because of social and
cultural conditioning.
-Reuters
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