The scent of sickness: 5 questions answered about using dogs – and mice and ferrets – to detect disease

Scientists are experimenting with using dogs to sniff out people infected with COVID-19. But dogs aren't the only animals with a nose for disease.

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Daily DIY sniff checks could catch many cases of COVID-19

COVID-19 patients often lose their sense of smell and taste. This is rare for a viral infection. At-home smell tests could be used as a screening tool and help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

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Your dog's nose knows no bounds – and neither does its love for you

Dogs process the sensory world very differently than humans, but love in a way that is entirely familiar.

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Nose cells may be key entry point for coronavirus

New evidence suggests that odor-sensing cells in the nose are the key entry point for SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

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‘Cyborg’ locusts could sniff out bombs

"People use pigs for finding truffles. It's a similar approach—using a biological organism—this is just a bit more sophisticated."

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How to understand COVID-19-related loss of smell

New study finds olfactory support cells, not neurons, are vulnerable to novel coronavirus infection.

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Why line-dried laundry smells so good

Why does laundry that dries outdoors in the sunshine smell so nice? Researchers conducted an experiment to find out.

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Models that mimic bug brains shed light on smell

Researchers have created a model of the brain that may clarify how the sense of smell actually works. It also mirrors insect brains.

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Synthetic odors created by activating brain cells help neuroscientists understand how smell works

Brains recognize a smell based on which cells fire, in what order – the same way you recognize a song based on its pattern of notes. How much can you change the 'tune' and still know the smell?

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New study reveals how the brain organizes information about odors

Researchers describe for the first time how relationships between different odors are encoded in the olfactory cortex, the region of brain responsible for processing smell.

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