Abstract: Methods for identifying and isolating an unculturable microorganism in a collection of microorganisms utilizing a nucleic acid sequence complementary to a variable region of the 16S rRNA of the target microorganism. Unculturable microorganisms are identified by comparing the rRNA sequences of the collection of microorganisms to either the rRNA sequences from databases of culturable microorganisms or to the rRNA sequences of cultures of the collection of microorganisms. A target unculturable is selected based upon various criteria. The probe contains a label that enables detection or separation of the labeled microorganism. The DNA can be recovered from the separated microorganism and portions thereof can be cloned into culturable microorganisms to synthesize the gene product.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting buried explosives which exude vapors of the explosive chemical to the surface. A biological sensor that is applied on the surface produces a detectable signal when it is contacted by the explosive chemical, producing an identifiable pattern for pin-pointing the explosive. The biological sensor is a genetically altered organism.