Moths' Sense of Smell

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HiTekRedNek Guru Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: 44.56024"N 15.307971E Posts: 8277 Good Answers: 270	Moths' Sense of Smell 09/11/2025 2:48 PM
	Certain moths can detect a single pheromone molecule from over 5 mils away! What an amazingly sensitive detector they must have! Look at this receptor: Perhaps scientists should closely study how they do it and develop something similar on a chip and tuned to a certain chemical or mixture. Imagine how useful it would be as bomb sniffers, poison detectors, mine detectors, even disease detectors. Has anyone heard of any research in this area? https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+sensitive+is+a+moth%27s+sense+of+smell%3F&atb=v475-1&ia=web __________________ "A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child." "Never argue with a stupid person.They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience" "To create an apple pie from scratch, first you must create a universe"
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#1 "Re: Moths' Sense of Smell" by Troy36 on 09/11/2025 3:18 PM (score 3)

Troy36 Power-User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Wisconsin USA Posts: 305 Good Answers: 25	#1 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/11/2025 3:18 PM
	That statement demonstrates the danger if trusting AI to summarize something. In one sentence, the article talks about being able to detect pheromones from six miles away. In another sentences the article states that the receptors are sensitive enough to detect a single pheromone. The AI summarized it to state detecting a single molecule at six miles away which is not the case at all. __________________ Troy
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Rixter Guru Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: About 4000 miles from the center of the earth (+/-100 mi) Posts: 9910 Good Answers: 1141	#3 In reply to #1 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/12/2025 4:30 PM
	Good catch. I was thinking that that must be one stinky molecule to smell it 6 miles away, or quantum mechanics stinky action at a distance.
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HiTekRedNek Guru Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: 44.56024"N 15.307971E Posts: 8277 Good Answers: 270	#4 In reply to #3 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/12/2025 6:35 PM
	I agree! Just can't trust anything anymore...and with AI it is getting worse. IMHO: Next thing you know, AI will be running an artificial candidate for office; a Numbers Man (not a Paper Man anymore) and no one will be able to tell. The candidate will appear in front of AI crowds, hear artificial applause, give AI speeches, and have promises that please everyone. Real people with complaints will be excluded from any publicity and not heard. All news will be AI generated, as will all programming. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, Artificial Intelligence will never conquer natural stupidity. __________________ "A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child." "Never argue with a stupid person.They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience" "To create an apple pie from scratch, first you must create a universe"
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StandardsGuy Guru Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: North America, Earth Posts: 4528 Good Answers: 106	#5 In reply to #1 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/13/2025 5:58 PM
	I agree. The single molecule would have to make contact with the moth's receptor. The distance it traveled is irrelevant. HTRN actually said 5 mils away. One definition of mil is one 1000th of an inch, so that is almost believable. __________________ “I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
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SolarEagle Guru Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: by the beach in Florida Posts: 33392 Good Answers: 1817	#2 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/11/2025 9:10 PM
	Disease detection by smell is an emerging scientific field that leverages the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) altered by disease to identify illnesses like Parkinson's, cancer, and diabetes. Humans and animals, such as dogs, can detect these odor cues, and technology like electronic noses and breathalyzers are being developed to analyze these scentprints using AI and sensors for non-invasive, rapid, and affordable diagnostics. While historical medical practices used smell, current advancements in molecular analysis and machine learning aim to provide more definitive, reproducible diagnostic tools.. https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/blog/sniffing-out-disease-with-scentprints-385995 Sniffing patients for disease has been around for centuries.... __________________ All living things seek to control their own destiny....this is the purpose of life
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Brave Sir Robin Guru Join Date: May 2007 Location: Annapolis, Maryland Posts: 7940 Good Answers: 458	#6 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/15/2025 10:20 PM
	Reminds me of a grade school joke regarding those pellets that contained napthalene and/or paradichlorobenzene.
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Nigh Guru Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: South east U.K. Posts: 3695 Good Answers: 93	#7 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/16/2025 11:23 AM
	Sniffer bees for bomb detection is already a thing. __________________ I didn't have a really important life, but at least it's been funny (Lemmy Kilminster 1945-2015)
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HiTekRedNek Guru Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: 44.56024"N 15.307971E Posts: 8277 Good Answers: 270	#8 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/18/2025 7:36 AM
	I realize this report may be bogus, but the sensors look like a series of cut antennas ,if they were for RF., (which I doubt), I wonder what frequency they would be capable of. If their lengths were known, it could be calculated .Does anyone have a source for the actual dimensions? __________________ "A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child." "Never argue with a stupid person.They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience" "To create an apple pie from scratch, first you must create a universe"
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Rixter Guru Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: About 4000 miles from the center of the earth (+/-100 mi) Posts: 9910 Good Answers: 1141	#9 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/19/2025 8:14 AM
	An alternative theory of how smell works...
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notla Participant Join Date: Sep 2025 Posts: 2	#10 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/21/2025 11:08 AM
	do you lnow what mothballs smell like?
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notla Participant Join Date: Sep 2025 Posts: 2	#11 Re: Moths' Sense of Smell 09/21/2025 11:13 AM
	paradichlorobenzene. unless you got there tiny little legs apart
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#1 "Re: Moths' Sense of Smell" by Troy36 on 09/11/2025 3:18 PM (score 3)

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Users who posted comments:

Brave Sir Robin (1); HiTekRedNek (2); Nigh (1); notla (2); Rixter (2); SolarEagle (1); StandardsGuy (1); Troy36 (1)

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