Podcast Summary
Exploring the Power of Smell and Apple Card's Cashback Offer: Apple Card offers daily cashback up to 3%, which can grow at 4.50% APY with a savings account. Dogs can detect diseases through smell, potentially leading to life-saving diagnoses.
Apple Card offers daily cashback of up to 3% on all purchases, which can be grown at an annual percentage yield of 4.50% when you open a savings account. This is subject to credit approval and eligibility. Elsewhere in the discussion, the importance of the human senses was explored, specifically the sense of smell. It was mentioned that scientists are still trying to fully understand how smell works, but its potential applications are significant. For instance, dogs can detect certain smells related to diseases like cancer, which could lead to life-saving diagnoses. The episode also touched upon the early work of scientist Dr. Claire Guest in training biodetection dogs to smell diseases. Overall, the discussion highlighted the intriguing and essential role of our senses, particularly smell, in our daily lives and potential advancements in health and science.
Dogs can detect diseases through their sense of smell: Dogs can be trained to detect various diseases and conditions through their unique sense of smell, offering less intrusive and quicker alternatives to traditional testing methods.
Dogs have the remarkable ability to detect various diseases and conditions through their sense of smell. This was illustrated in Claire's story, where her dog Daisy helped her discover an early-stage breast cancer by nudging at a lump. This ability is not limited to breast cancer; dogs have been trained to detect various forms of cancer, such as bladder, prostate, and Parkinson's, as well as bacteria and other diseases. The latest research even shows promising results in training dogs to detect COVID-19 through a single sniff, which could potentially lead to faster and less invasive testing methods. Dogs are trained to recognize the unique odors associated with diseases and are rewarded for identifying positive samples. This method can detect diseases with high accuracy, and it's less intrusive and quicker than traditional testing methods. While the idea of a "dog army" for disease detection is intriguing, it's not the primary goal. The focus is on using dogs to supplement existing testing methods and make diagnosis more accessible and efficient.
Why do certain molecules produce specific smells?: The lock and key model, once thought to explain smell, is no longer sufficient. Scientists now explore more complex theories recognizing the intricate interaction between odor molecules and receptors.
While we have a basic understanding of how smells are detected and perceived through the interaction between molecules and receptors in the nose, the fundamental question of why certain molecules produce specific smells remains a mystery. The lock and key model, which suggests that the shape of molecules determines their smell, is no longer considered a sufficient explanation. Instead, scientists are exploring more complex theories, recognizing that the interaction between odor molecules and receptors is likely more intricate and nuanced than a simple lock-and-key mechanism. This complexity underscores the challenges in harnessing the power of a dog's superior sense of smell, which relies on a deep understanding of the molecular and neural processes involved in olfaction. Ultimately, unraveling the mysteries of smell could lead to significant advancements in fields ranging from healthcare to environmental monitoring, making it an essential area of ongoing research.
The relationship between receptors and odor molecules is more complex than a simple lock and key model: Receptors and odor molecules interact in a dynamic interplay, with various factors influencing the attraction and response. Genetic variations and modifications on both sides contribute to the vast range of smells we can experience.
The lock and key model of how molecules interact with our sense of smell is oversimplified. The relationship between receptors and odor molecules is more like a dynamic interplay or a tango, with various factors influencing the attraction and response. Receptors have different sensitivities and preferences, and the same odor molecule can produce different smells in different people due to genetic variations. Additionally, the receptor-molecule interaction is not a one-way street; the receptor can also modify the molecule, and the molecule can influence the receptor's activity. The complexity of this process allows for 400 receptors to create a trillion different smells, making the sense of smell a fascinating and intricate puzzle.
Replicating Canine Ability to Detect Diseases: Scientists are developing a robot nose to replicate dogs' ability to detect diseases, despite the complexity of smell perception and limited understanding of the process.
The complex nature of smell perception, which is influenced by various factors including genetics, language, culture, and experience, has led scientists to attempt creating a robot nose to replicate the ability of dogs to detect diseases. Despite the vast complexity of smell and limited understanding of the process, researchers are undeterred and excited about the potential applications of this technology. Andreas Merschin, a research scientist at MIT, is one such individual who is motivated by the idea of replicating the canine ability to detect diseases, despite having access to advanced equipment that falls short in this regard. This drive to understand and replicate the dog's superpower has led to ongoing research and development efforts, even though the full picture of how smell works is not yet fully understood.
Our sense of smell recognizes complex patterns, not just individual molecules: The discussion challenges the traditional understanding of how our sense of smell works by suggesting that it can recognize complex patterns and holistic impressions, not just individual molecules, opening up new possibilities for research and technology.
Our sense of smell may not function the way we thought it did based on the discussion between Andreas and Brian. Instead of processing individual molecules like a machine, our noses might be able to recognize complex patterns or holistic impressions of smells, much like how we recognize a familiar song despite changes in its individual sounds. Andreas and his team attempted to create a "cyborg nose" to detect bomb-related chemicals, but they realized that the technology couldn't decode the intricacies of smell. Inspired by trained dogs' ability to generalize and recognize various types of cancer, they began to explore the idea that smells might be perceived as complex patterns rather than a list of molecules. Brian explained that just as we can still recognize a song even when its individual sounds change, smells might be recognized based on their overall pattern or impression. This idea challenges the traditional understanding of how our sense of smell works and opens up new possibilities for research and technology. In essence, the discussion suggests that our sense of smell is more sophisticated than previously believed, with the ability to recognize complex patterns and holistic impressions. This discovery could lead to new advancements in fields such as scent detection, flavor analysis, and even artificial intelligence.
Robotic Nose: Learning from Dogs: Engineer Andreas Müller trained the Nanonose to recognize smells using pattern recognition, allowing it to learn and improve like machine learning, rather than trying to understand the complexities of smell recognition.
Andreas Müller, the robotics engineer, approached the challenge of creating a functional robotic nose, or Nanonose, differently in his second attempt. Instead of trying to understand the intricacies of smell recognition like a chemical detector, he was inspired by the way dogs recognize smells through pattern recognition. He trained the Nanonose to recognize specific smells and then allowed it to learn and improve on its own, similar to machine learning and artificial intelligence. This approach, while seemingly simple, could be considered brilliant or a sign of collective insanity, as it bypasses the complex question of exactly how smell recognition occurs. The Nanonose has shown promising results, but it still needs to be refined and tested in real-world environments. The ultimate goal is to create a robotic nose that can function similarly to a dog's nose, but the exact workings of the Nanonose may not be identical to those of a dog's nose. Research is ongoing to understand the mechanisms behind smell recognition in dogs and to further develop the Nanonose.
Building to Understand: NanoKnows and the Journey of Creating New Tech: Researcher Andreas Mershin is developing a small AI device called NanoKnows to detect smells, but his lack of understanding of the nose is seen as an opportunity to learn more. Building to understand is a valid approach, as shown by Richard Feynman and the Wright brothers.
Researcher Andreas Mershin is working on creating a small AI device called NanoKnows, which can detect smells, and he's making progress towards making it small enough to fit inside a phone. However, he admits that he doesn't fully understand how the nose works, which is a crucial part of the technology. Instead of being an obstacle, this lack of understanding is seen as an opportunity to build and learn more. The famous physicist Richard Feynman's quote, "If you cannot create something, you don't understand it," suggests that building something to understand it is a valid approach. The Wright brothers, who invented flight, also followed this principle. As research continues, there have been advancements in using dogs to detect COVID-19, and next week, we will explore the sense of taste in relation to technology. Overall, the journey of understanding and creating new technology often involves not having all the answers but using the process of building to gain new insights.
Exploring the unexplored: From tastes to motivations: Our understanding of reality is shaped by language and labels, and our motivations can be more complex than we think, as shown in the 'Running Socks' docuseries.
Our perception of reality is shaped by language and labels, like the concept of "umami" in taste. The "Unexplainable" podcast explores various unexplored topics, including the number of tastes, the inability to visualize images in some people's minds, and even a 6th sense. The new docuseries, "Running Socks," produced by Team Milk, reveals that many women runners are driven to endure long distances not out of love for running, but as a means to reclaim power and challenge their own beliefs. This series highlights the importance of understanding the motivations behind our actions and the power of pushing past perceived limitations. Whether it's through the exploration of taste, the human experience, or the pursuit of personal goals, our understanding of the world around us is continually evolving. To learn more about "Unexplainable" or "Running Socks," visit their respective websites or listen to their podcasts.
