- Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly
10 million deaths in 2020. One way to improve survival rates is to develop better diagnostic methods. - Early detection is crucial, as patients have a higher chance of recovery if the cancer is found sooner. Currently, many early detection methods are either invasive or expensive, making them unavailable to many people.
- One alternative method being studied involves the use of animals’ sense of smell. Now, scientists have shown that ants can detect the “scent of cancer” from urine, which one day could represent a cheap and effective cancer detection method.
In a new study paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences scientists report that ants can detect the scent of several types of cancer, which changes the odor of urine.
Animal olfaction refers to the sense of smell in animals. This sensory ability is used by many species, including mammals and insects, to detect and identify scents in their environment for various purposes, such as finding food, detecting predators, and locating mates.
Cancer cells can emit specific chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that can be used to identify cancer. Animals, including ants, with their strong sense of smell, can therefore be trained to recognize these VOCs.
Using animals to detect cancer is a promising way to increase early detection rates. Dogs, for example, can be trained to identify cancer by smelling cell samples or body odor and detecting VOCs that are associated with cancer and its altered cell metabolism.
Ants, particularly Formica fusca, show excellent learning skills when it comes to odors that are relevant to their environment.
While ants do not have a sense of smell in the same way in which mammals do, they are able to pick up distinct smells through their antennae, which have an exceptional number of odor receptors.
After just one training session, ants are capable of creating a long-lasting memory…
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