NEW INSTANT RESULT COVID TEST: BEES
Scientists have taught bees to smell the coronavirus.
They can identify a case within seconds.
- Dutch scientists have trained bees to smell COVID-19.
- Every time the bees were exposed to an infected sample, they stuck out their tongues.
- The animals could be a low-tech solution for identifying COVID-19 cases.
Scientists in the Netherlands have trained bees to identify COVID-19 through their sense of smell, according to a press release from Wageningen University.
The research was conducted on more than 150 bees in Wageningen University’s bio-veterinary research laboratory.
The scientists trained the bees by giving them a treat – a sugar-water solution – every time they were exposed to the scent of a mink infected with COVID-19. Each time the bees were exposed to a non-infected sample, they wouldn’t get a reward (a process known as Pavlovian conditioning).
DAWG SAYS: I INITIALLY QUESTIONED THE VALIDTY OF THIS INFORMATION, BUT WAS CONFIRMED THROUGH MANY OTHER SOURCES.