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So that could become one way to do it. Another would be just about as fast but it would involve insects though it might take a microscope to get results. Today I learned that honeybees have tongues and when they stick them out at you, it's not an insult but it could be a way to determine if someone has COVID-19. Here's CNN Contributor Tyler Mauldin.
TYLER MAULDIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Dutch scientists, Carl, are buzzing over a new way to possibly detect COVID-19. Scientists at labs in the Netherlands say bees could be the answer. That's right, bees. Despite not being known for their sense of smell, the scientists were recently able to train bees to stick out their tongue when they detected the infections odor. Odor?
Yes, the coronavirus, like many other viruses and diseases creates a chemical reaction within the body which in turn, releases a smell that our human noses can't detect. But bees can sniff it out. Bees can actually sniff out flowers, one kilometer or more than half a mile away. The scientists are trying to leverage that skill.
So these scientists gathered up 150 bees and exposed them to healthy and COVID positive minks. There have been COVID outbreaks on mink farms. That's why the scientists chose the animal. Anyway, when the bees were exposed to minks with the virus they were given a sugary reward.
Much like dogs after a little training. The bees started expecting their sugary reward once exposed to the COVID scent and began sticking out their tongues. The scientists later used humans in the experiment and got similar results. You best "believe" Carl, the scientists are trying to find ways to carry this out on a larger scale. They say it could be very effective in diagnosing positive patients in low-income countries.
