1.Let's learn about dogs. To date, some doctors, scientists and government officials have been skeptical of the claims that dogs can sniff out COVID, Grandjean says. He finds this reluctance puzzling. Governments already use dogs to sniff out drugs and explosives. Some are being tested for detecting other diseases, such as cancer, he says. “Every time you take a plane, it’s because dogs have been sniffing your luggage [and found] no explosives. So you trust them when you take a plane,” he says, “but you don’t want to trust them for COVID?”
People may not think of dogs as high-tech the way electronic sensors are. “But dogs are one of the highest-tech devices we have,” Furton says. “They’re just biological sensors, instead of electronic sensors.”
One of the bigger drawbacks for dogs is that they take time to train. Right now, there aren’t even enough dogs trained to detect explosives, let alone diseases, Otto says. Not just any dog will do. “Dogs that work well in that lab setting may not work well in a people setting,” she adds. Handlers can also influence the dog’s response and must be able to read the dog well, she says. “We need more good. dogs.”. 2.
Power Words
cancer: Any of more than 100 different diseases, each characterized by the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The development and growth of cancers, also known as malignancies, can lead to tumors, pain and death.
canine: Members of the biological family of canids. These are carnivores and omnivores. The family includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals and coyotes. (in anatomy) The pointed tooth in a mammal that separates its incisors from its premolars. These canine teeth tend to be especially long in carnivores.
chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.
colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.
coronavirus: A family of viruses named for the crown-like spikes on their surface (corona means “crown” in Latin). Coronaviruses cause the common cold. The family also includes viruses that cause far more serious infections, including SARS and COVID-19.
COVID-19: A name given to the disease that erupted into a massive global pandemic in 2020. It first emerged in 2019 and is caused by a new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms can include pneumonia, trouble breathing, feeling too tired to walk more than a few steps, fever, headaches, low blood-oxygen levels, blood clots and brain “fog.”
forensic: And adjective referring to the use of science and technology to investigate and solve crimes.
infection: A disease that can spread from one organism to another. It’s usually caused by some type of microbe.
invasive: An adjective that refers to something that can alter some environment (such as invasive medical procedures) or invade some environment (such as an invasive species).
nasal: Having to do with the nose.
PCR: An acronym for polymerase chain reaction. It's a biochemical process that repeatedly copies a particular sequence of DNA.
respiratory: Of or referring to parts of the body involved in breathing (called the respiratory system). It includes the lungs, nose, sinuses, throat and other large airways.
SARS-CoV-2: A coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. It would go on to cause widespread — and sometimes lethal — disease throughout China and many other nations. Its name reflects its close similarity to the original coronavirus known as SARS (for severe acute respiratory syndrome). That SARS virus sparked a global outbreak of disease in 2003.
screening: A health test that is performed early, often before any symptoms are present. Such tests can help find disease when it is easiest to treat. Screenings can include blood tests (such as for HIV, diabetes or high cholesterol), X-rays or scans (such as mammograms for breast cancer).
sensor: A device that picks up information on physical or chemical conditions — such as temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, humidity, pH, light intensity or radiation — and stores or broadcasts that information. Scientists and engineers often rely on sensors to inform them of conditions that may change over time or that exist far from where a researcher can measure them directly. (in biology) The structure that an organism uses to sense attributes of its environment, such as heat, winds, chemicals, moisture, trauma or an attack by predators.
skeptical: Not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
symptom: A physical or mental indicator generally regarded to be characteristic of a disease. Sometimes a single symptom — especially a general one, such as fever or pain — can be a sign of any of many different types of injury or disease.
test positive: A term that indicates that some test has confirmed what it was looking for, such as a disease or poison. 3.veterinarian: (adj. veterinary) A doctor who studies or treats animals (not humans).
virus: Tiny infectious particles consisting of genetic material (RNA or DNA) surrounded by protein. Viruses can reproduce only by injecting their genetic material into the cells of living creatures. Although scientists frequently refer to viruses as live or dead, in fact many scientists argue that no virus is truly alive. It doesn’t eat like animals do, or make its own food the way plants do. It must hijack the cellular machinery of a living cell in order to survive.
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