Dogs vs. Machines: The Future of Cancer Detection

Summary

In this article, we explore the fascinating world of canine scent detection and its potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis. Dogs can detect medical conditions, including cancer, with up to 98% accuracy, making them the earliest, cheapest, and fastest cancer detectors we have. MIT’s Andreas Mertschen is working on building an artificial nose that works as well as a dog’s nose to create an artificial infection or machine infection. We also delve into the role of olfaction in human perception and how artificial olfaction can help us understand subjective olfaction in biological beings.

The Power of Canine Scent Detection
The Challenge of Building an Artificial Nose
Olfaction’s Role in Perception and Behavior
The Undervalued Sense of Smell
Conclusion

The Power of Canine Scent Detection

Despite having access to $100 million worth of equipment, we cannot diagnose cancer as well as a trained dog. Dogs can detect medical conditions, including seizures, diabetes, and cancers, with up to 98% accuracy. Early diagnosis, which dogs can do routinely, is the difference between life and death. Dogs are 90% accurate at detecting prostate cancer and have successfully detected every cancer that has been tried. They read the volatile molecules that come into their nose and interpret the message in their minds. The message, whether it is cancer or not, is not written on anything that has to do with the structure of the molecule.

The Challenge of Building an Artificial Nose

MIT’s Andreas Mertschen is working on building an artificial nose that works as well as a dog’s nose to create an artificial infection or machine infection. The reason why dogs have a better sense of smell than humans is that most odorants are near the surface, and having the nose close to the ground makes dogs more aware of it. Artificial olfaction’s biggest challenge is in the psychological realm of understanding how dogs detect the odorant and how they realize what is what. Building an artificial nose can help us enter a new era of medicine, and it can also tell us how olfaction works. The meaning attached to scent has to do with personal experience, but some meanings are attached before birth. Artificial olfaction can also help us understand subjective olfaction in biological beings, as the olfactory palate of humans is about 30% variable from person to person.

Olfaction’s Role in Perception and Behavior

During pregnancy, a woman’s body becomes more objective as it tells her what she needs and what she doesn’t need. This is done through perceptual engineering, where the body modulates wants and desires from the olfactory spectrum. Olfaction plays a big role in engineering perception, as it plugs into behaviors such as attraction, aversion, and decision-making. Losing the sense of smell can be an indicator of dementia or Parkinson’s disease.

The Undervalued Sense of Smell

Despite being a smell researcher, the interviewee would rather lose their sense of smell than their phone, which they consider to be more powerful. Scent and the sense of smell are undervalued compared to other senses like vision and hearing. However, the potential of artificial olfaction to revolutionize medicine and our understanding of perception and behavior cannot be overstated.

Conclusion

In conclusion, canine scent detection has the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis, and artificial olfaction can help us enter a new era of medicine and understand subjective olfaction in biological beings. The challenge of building an artificial nose is significant, but the potential benefits are enormous. As we continue to explore the fascinating world of olfaction, we may discover new insights into human perception and behavior that could transform our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.