Honeybees can “smell” lung cancer

Cancer-related scents spark distinct brain activity patterns

A close-up honeybee lands on a flower

Honeybees’ olfactory systems are so sensitive that scientists may one day be able to use the insects to detect the odors of cancer.

vinisouza128/500px/Getty Images

Float like a butterfly, sniff out cancer like a bee?

Honeybees can detect the subtle scents of lung cancer in the lab — and even the faint aroma of disease that can waft from a patient’s breath.

Inspired by the insects’ exquisite olfactory abilities, scientists hooked the brains of living bees up to electrodes, passed different scents under the insects’ antennae and then recorded their brain signals.

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