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Could Bees Take Over From Sniffer Dogs?

We’ve relied on dogs’ noses for millennia, but can other animals take humans beyond the limits of our own senses? CrowdScience sniffs out answers to our listener Beth’s question.

Humans have used dogs' excellent sniffing talents ever since our ancestors figured out that canine companions could help them track down their next meal.

But what about other animals? Can they take us beyond the limits of our own senses? That's what CrowdScience listener Beth wants to know, so we obligingly try to sniff out some answers.

After immersing ourselves in the world of insect senses at our local zoo, we visit an insect lab in Germany to find out whether sniffer bees could take over from sniffer dogs. And could ants help us fly the drones of the future? We meet the scientists trying to turn ant vision into computer code, to send robots into places GPS can't reach.

Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far
Producer: Cathy Edwards

(Photo: A bee on a human finger. Credit: Getty Images)

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29 minutes

Last on

Tue 6 Mar 2018 03:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 2 Mar 2018 20:32GMT
  • Fri 2 Mar 2018 21:32GMT
  • Sat 3 Mar 2018 00:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Mar 2018 05:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Mar 2018 07:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Mar 2018 15:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Mar 2018 18:32GMT
  • Tue 6 Mar 2018 03:32GMT

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