A group of scientists working within the French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS) conducted a remarkable study on ants. As a result of the studies, it was revealed that ants of the Formica fusca species can distinguish cancerous cells in humans. The ants could only tell which cells were cancerous by smell. Yes, you heard right; by sniffing…
These unexpected abilities of ants have emerged thanks to volatile organic compounds between cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Experts have revealed that ants can actually make some detections by smelling like dogs. The most striking aspect of the study is that the training of ants is both cheaper and shorter than that of dogs.
Only 30 minutes of training is enough for cancer detection
Scientists who made statements about their research state that ants can be more advantageous than dogs. Because ants only need 30 minutes of training to be able to distinguish cancerous cells. This time ranges from 6 to 12 minutes in dogs. Moreover, there is a huge difference between the maintenance costs of ants and those of dogs.
Dogs, whose sense of smell is highly developed, are used in many fields today. COVID-19, drugs and bombs are just a few of the areas where dogs’ sense of smell is exploited. Experts have now entered into a similar view for ants. Scientists, who will expand the scope of their work, will try to understand in which areas ants can be used apart from cancer diagnosis.
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