September 30, 2008
artificial noses
Scientists at MIT have mass-replicated smell receptors in the lab.
Artificial noses could one day replace dogs that sniff out drugs and explosives, and could have numerous medical applications including identifying diseases that have distinct odors, according to Shuguang Zhang, associate director of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering and senior author of a study on the subject.
“Smell is perhaps one of the oldest and most primitive senses, but nobody really understands how it works,” said Zhang.
“It still remains a tantalizing enigma.”
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This American Life had a little bit on that during their Mapping show this time last year. Wasn’t called RealNose, though…