The electronic nose, which is to be installed on the International Space Station in order to automatically monitor the station's air, can detect contaminants within a range of one to approximately 10,000 parts per million. In a series of experiments, the Brain Mapping Foundation used NASA's electronic nose to sniff brain cancer cells and cells in other organs. Their data demonstrates that the electronic nose can sense differences in odour from normal versus cancerous cells.
From NASA's Electronic Nose May Provide Neurosurgeons With A New Weapon Against Brain Cancer at Science Daily.
Well, that’s just amazing! And I can see how developing technologies like this can lead to great things…I am hung up on one issue: sniffing cancerous brain cells that have been excised from the cranium is fine….but let’s face it, if the suspicious cells are inside your HEAD….and you’re still using your head….eek
Ack. You lost me!
Daisy, I saw an exhibit on this at the Moma’s design show. Don’t ask me how, but it can smell cancer on your breath. As a matter of fact, so can bees. They can smell diabetes and other diseases, too, and can tell if you’re pregnant or not, way before any other test.
But I guess it’s difficult to take care of bees on a space station.
LOL Bees In Space (echo echo echo)
That is amazing, I hope some private company picks up on this technology and runs with it. What if you went to your doctor for your routine physical and took the “cancer breath test” –even if it gave a general positive, it would enable your doctor to start looking for the culprit!
Aren’t there “cancer dogs” that can sniff out cancer in people, too? Never knew about the bees. That’s pretty cool.
Yep! I didn’t know about the bees either.
cancer sniffing dogs? I hadn’t heard of that…..I won’t have my dog apply to the training program…she can only sniff out things like donuts. (just like me!)
Does. Not. Compute. But I’m working on it.
Hey, you got in!
Doesn’t really computer for me either, and can’t say I’m working on it.