Sniffing Like A Dog?

Fathom

Chemical detectors with dog-like sniff attachment. Sniffing computers. Approximate dog sniffing. Improves detection. Applies to TNT. May aid drug, disease, corpse, other substance detection. Ref: http://www.popsci.com/sniffing-like-dog-gives-chemical-detectors-boost

Black Swan

Jehuda Yinon (2003), Detection of Explosives by Electronic Noses, Analytical Chemistry 75 (5), pp 98-105, suggests that "handheld chemical-sensing systems come in several varieties and offer advantages over the traditional bomb-sniffing dog."

Fathom

$15,000 to train dog sniffing team. Dog & handler. Ref: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130545&page=1

Capt'n Midnight

Fathom wrote: »

$15,000 to train dog sniffing team. Dog & handler.

Ref: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130545&page=1

It takes just 10 minutes to train bees to sniff out cancer.

Seriously just add the chemical you want bees to find to sugary water and they'll figure it out pretty damn quick.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-bees-be-trained-to-sniff-out-cancer-180948269/

Insects offer key advantages over mammals and electronics, however, because of their antennae. For example, electronic nose devices have trouble detecting an odor amid more complicated conditions, like when there's a greater mixture of gases, as is found in human breath. And studies have revealed that sniffer dogs identify odors correctly only about 71 percent of the time, while also requiring at least three months' training. Bees, in contrast, have achieved an accuracy rate of 98 percent and can be trained in about 10 minutes.

Also beware. Money attracts corrupt people. Like the sort who will claim that their golf ball detectors will detect explosives. Lots of people died.

Capt'n Midnight

BTW we may have lost our sense of smell because we stand up. Most other animals can keep their noses close to the ground. Smell just isn't as accessible to us. Though on QI it was said running up and down stairs would get the blood pumping and so the increased blood flow to your nose would 'reset' it.

Fathom

Human sense of smell? Half genes no longer function. Vestigial remains? Doron Lancet suggested mutations caused dysfunction. Olfactory receptor pseudo-genes. Why? She speculates environmental shift from olfactory to vision specialization. A leap? Ref: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2003/04/03/823577.htm

Black Swan

Fathom wrote: »

She speculates environmental shift from olfactory to vision specialization. A leap?

Evolutionary shift?

Fathom

Black Swan wrote: »

Evolutionary shift?

Speculated in article.

Black Swan

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

It takes just 10 minutes to train bees to sniff out cancer.

DARPA funding to train honey bees to become bomb sniffers. Appears that insects can either be used directly, or used to inform electronic detection measures.

Fathom

Sniffing continues. Canine teams expanding. Airports. US Department of Homeland Security policy. Example of old tech? Should be replaced by chemical sniffers? Or bees? Ref: http://www.hstoday.us/focused-topics/port-cargo/single-article-page/tsa-to-expand-use-of-bomb-sniffing-dogs-for-passenger-screening-in-2013/918f6ebedc9fbc5346ec299606447512.html