4 ms·

They didn't mention looking for other people with the same ability. Maybe other or many or most people can do it, if they know what to look for. If I smell some

They didn't mention looking for other people with the same ability. Maybe other or many or most people can do it, if they know what to look for. If I smell something bad, I never consider that it might be a disease.

randcraw 3y ago
If a human can do it, a dog can too, since their noses are so much more sensitive than any human's. I can imagine dogs reliably sniffing out many diseases, then this becoming a standard lab assay, or at least a component thereof.
- nradov 3y ago
  When you feel sick, go get a "Lab" test.
  - adityaathalye 3y ago
    And then do we query results with What's pup, doc??
- bobthepanda 3y ago
  Also, assays cost less money than dogs which cost less money than human specialists.
klyrs 3y ago
It seems safe to assume she has an especially good nose -- I figure she's the olfactory version of a tetrachromat[1] or supertaster[2]. She also had a relatively rare coincidence where she married somebody before his Parkinson's presented, and she witnessed its progression. I would assume that she isn't globally unique in her ability, but finding others with it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you efficiently screen for this without knowing the precise compounds are to be targeted? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster
- wolverine876 3y ago
  > It seems safe to assume she has an especially good nose I wouldn't assume anything. And it might not be related to sensitivity in general, but sensitivity to a particular chemical. (Also, is the perception of smell tied only to sensory aparatus in the nose?) > finding others with it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you efficiently screen for this without knowing the precise compounds are to be targeted? Expose them to people with Parkinson's; based on her experience, it seems like a quick test. In her case, they tested it with t-shirts worn by people with Parkinson's.
  - klyrs 3y ago
    > Expose them to people with Parkinson's; based on her experience, it seems like a quick test. In her case, they tested it with t-shirts worn by people with Parkinson's. I guess, a nice impact of this story is that people with Parkinson's are gonna see it and ask their friends, "do I have a smell?" If she's not rare, we'll find out.

randcraw 3y ago

If a human can do it, a dog can too, since their noses are so much more sensitive than any human's. I can imagine dogs reliably sniffing out many diseases, then this becoming a standard lab assay, or at least a component thereof.

nradov 3y ago
When you feel sick, go get a "Lab" test.
- adityaathalye 3y ago
  And then do we query results with What's pup, doc??
bobthepanda 3y ago
Also, assays cost less money than dogs which cost less money than human specialists.

klyrs 3y ago

It seems safe to assume she has an especially good nose -- I figure she's the olfactory version of a tetrachromat[1] or supertaster[2]. She also had a relatively rare coincidence where she married somebody before his Parkinson's presented, and she witnessed its progression. I would assume that she isn't globally unique in her ability, but finding others with it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you efficiently screen for this without knowing the precise compounds are to be targeted? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

wolverine876 3y ago
> It seems safe to assume she has an especially good nose I wouldn't assume anything. And it might not be related to sensitivity in general, but sensitivity to a particular chemical. (Also, is the perception of smell tied only to sensory aparatus in the nose?) > finding others with it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you efficiently screen for this without knowing the precise compounds are to be targeted? Expose them to people with Parkinson's; based on her experience, it seems like a quick test. In her case, they tested it with t-shirts worn by people with Parkinson's.
- klyrs 3y ago
  > Expose them to people with Parkinson's; based on her experience, it seems like a quick test. In her case, they tested it with t-shirts worn by people with Parkinson's. I guess, a nice impact of this story is that people with Parkinson's are gonna see it and ask their friends, "do I have a smell?" If she's not rare, we'll find out.