Ants can detect the scent of cancer in urine

Originally published by Jennifer Nalewicki on January 25, 2023

Ants use their antennae to sniff out cancer

Since they don't have noses, ants use their antennae to sniff out cancer. (Image credit: Rob Ault via Getty)

 
Ants can be trained to detect cancer in urine, a new study finds.

Although ant sniffing is a long way from being used as a diagnostic tool in humans, the results are encouraging, the researchers said.

Because ants lack noses, they use olfactory receptors on their antennae to help them find food or sniff out potential mates. For the study, published Jan. 25 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists trained nearly three dozen silky ants (Formica fusca) to use these acute olfactory receptors for a different task: finding tumors.

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