NASA's new e-nose can detect scent of cancerous brain cells
By Ross Miller 
posted May 2nd 2009 11:41AM
posted May 2nd 2009 11:41AM
NASA's recently developed electronic nose, intended for air quality monitoring on Space Shuttle Endeavour and later the International Space Station, has a rather fortunate and unintended secondary role. In addition to being able to detect contaminants within about one to 10,000 parts per million, scientists have discovered it can also sniff out the difference in odor between normal and cancerous brain cells -- not a new use for e-noses, but certainly one that helps to advance the field. Groups such the as Brain Mapping Foundation, City of Hope Cancer Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been testing the technology and hope it one day leads to a new understanding of cancer development. We'd also wager it can accurately detect what cologne or perfume you're wearing, another unintended side effect and probably not as fun of a party trick as it seems.[Via Slashdot; image courtesy of RSC]
First!
Amazing.
This could help save millions of lives from cacner, and all you can say is 'First'?
Sniffs out cancerous cells. I already checked in the Apple App Store. There's an app for that.
Don't get all jizzed up about saving millions of lives with a cancer-sniffer. Please face reality. Humans are meant to die. It's just the natural order of things. Whether it's from cancer, plague, starvation or floods those millions of humans will die. It's just a matter of time. Even though my brother had his cancer detected early and was in remission, in the end there was nothing anyone could do to stop the spread.
Great logic there. So I guess since all humans will die anyway, who cares about anything, right? Let's just disband the medical system, any safety-related companies, the police, and locks on our doors. I mean, we're all going to die anyway, right? So it doesn't even matter anymore.
iphonerulez, i doubt you'd be saying that if you got cancer.
@iPhonerulez
I want to hear you say that again when you get the swine flu.
I want to see gamma rays, hear x-rays, and smell dark matter!
I can sell you a few hits of this good shit...
Everybody can smell dark matter as soon as it goes out! What's rong with you?!?
If this does save millions of peoples lives the the future is going to be hard for the human race.
A bit philosophical?
good point though.. if we cure all diseases etc etc we might have to deal with the potential and very real disaster of massive population overcrowding which might actually end up being the end of the human race. but who are we to sentence people to death by inaction even if it is for the greater good of humanity.
...bit philosophical?
Now if only we could get them to create the Finglonger!
When we cure all diseases we'll have plenty of other planets/dimensions to occupy.
So if we modify this to detect aging cells that are about to die but are essential and cannot be replaced eg. brain cells and find a way to replace them, we could literally end death.
With this we could end death from cancer and from old age. Only weapons can kill us i guess.
LOTR PL0X
They're not also planning to cure old age, road accidents or famine. People will still die.
so this the beginning of the Smell O Scope!!
LOL! I love Professor Farnsworth!
GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!
I have just invented the ...
That cancer could be anything; a faulty stench coil, some cheese on the lens...
Psh.
Professor Keanbeen came out with the SmellMaster waaaaaay before (in present time and in future time) Professor Farnsworth.
yes but the robot overload has to crack your skull open in order to smell your brain
Very cool!
Wow at the end there you were starting to sound like the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Don't Panic.
yeah but until we make something that can get all of the molecules of the hostesses undergarments to jump three feet to their left we're still a long ways away from Adams' galaxy
But can it smell Crysis?
and can it play mp3s?
I can see it on breakfast TV...
"I hear this thing beeps when it smells brain cancer!"
"Sure does Bob."
"Why is it beeping now?"
"Darn."
"What do you mean?"
"When did you last see a doctor Bob?"
You guys do know there are multiple cures for cancer. The crap they give the people just subsides the symptoms not the cause. Or do you want to tell me that 100+ years of research brought nothing...just google how corrupt the FDA really is, you will also find many CURES.
True. I started taking turmeric as a preventative. Look up Johanna Budwig, a German biochemist who in 1951 came up with a diet which supposedly can kill cancer.
http://www.cancure.org/budwig_diet.htm
Yes thanks for posting that. I have been on the budwig diet for over a month now and feel great. You will find out that big pharma wanted to take this woman down but the judge choose in favor of her work. Today this would never fly as the judge would be bribed so badly that he would loose his mind.
As someone who has had several very close and dear members of the family die of cancer I find your post VERY offensive.
Wow actually your post is the offensive one. You shouldn't be mad at me you should be mad at yourself for your ignorance. If you did some research you maybe could have saved those people.
this is just a stupid conspiracy theory.. Do you really think that the truth wouldnt have come out by now and everyone with cancer would use these "cures"? I suppose you think the US government planned 9/11 too.
great site... interesting posts...hmm, let me just keep myself away from the argument, though or shall I say "discussions" around here. I simply would like to ask to whom shall I address my appreciation for visiting my site. Thank you very much and it would be nice to hear from you again :-)
Much better thing for NASA to work on than Wastfull expensive Mars missions
This could have some really important applications for tracing pollutants and their passage through the food-chain and into the food supply.
This could devastate the (fallacious) arguments of many agribusinesses (Monsanto etc) that the chemicals they sell and the GM crops don't spread or adulterate food.
But can it determine which shirt in my closet is worn and which is in need of washing?
Introducing the iNose from Apple...no wonder the PC guy in the commercials always sounded so stuffy
Uranus Opener!!
Failometer for me. That was actually for Mic2000.
CURSE YOU ENGADGET!
Doesn't that mean you would have to cut open the head and skull first so that you can use the device to "smell" brain cells? Otherwise, how else can you gain access to the neurons? A much better use for this device, is a rapid way to sniff for drugs at border crossings or airports I would think.
How much would it suck to be the NASA person who flipped this on and had it tell them that they had cancer?
Yeah...too many of us...altho' who wants to live to be 82? Usually, anyone who is 81. Some exceptions...like Bender, who interestingly enough, drops 25 cents in the suicide booth for a 2-fer, and snags the coin back with a string...and yeah...I think that contracting cancer is slightly different than spectating cancer.