Name: How we're using dogs to sniff out malaria
Uploaded: 2019-10-21T15:10:48Z
Duration: 17 min 30 s
Description: What if we could diagnose some of the world's deadliest diseases by the smells our bodies give off? In a fascinating talk and live demo, biologist James Logan introduces Freya, a malaria-sniffing dog, to show how we can harness the awesome powers of animal scent to detect chemical signatures associated with infection -- and change the way we diagnose disease.

What if we could diagnose some of the world's deadliest diseases by the smells our bodies give off? In a fascinating talk and live demo, biologist James Logan introduces Freya, a malaria-sniffing dog, to show how we can harness the awesome powers of animal scent to detect chemical signatures associated with infection -- and change the way we diagnose disease.

How we're using dogs to sniff out malaria

Harnessing animals’ powerful noses could change how deadly diseases are detected and stopped. Malaria alters human body odor, making infected people more attractive to mosquitoes—and even detectable by specially trained dogs. In live demonstrations, trained dogs pinpointed malaria-infected samples with remarkable accuracy, far surpassing conventional diagnostics. This approach opens the door to noninvasive disease detection and new technology inspired by nature.