Crimaldi wants to know which algorithms do a better job of locating the source of the odor within the model. Then the researchers run different computer programs that inspect the model for the source of the plume. Researchers use the data of how the dye dissipates unevenly over time to create computer models that replicate the motion of the chemicals swirling around. One of Crimaldi’s studies involves using lasers to measure how a fluorescent dye spreads out in a large tank of water. “They're actually all using the same physics.” “When you see a plume of smoke coming out of a smokestack or what milk looks like when you pour it into your coffee, it has that very complex structure to it,” Crimaldi said. It turns out there are everyday examples of the way invisible odors disperse all around us. Crimaldi and his lab use special techniques to study the physics of how odors move around in air and water. He’s the lead principal investigator of the Odor Navigation Project. John Crimaldi, who studies fluid mechanics at the University of Colorado Boulder, is looking at the structure of the odors themselves.
#DOG NOSE SKETCH SKIN#
Jinn thinks that dogs detect traces of vapors emitted from tiny amounts of dead skin cells, hair and sweat that people shed as they walk. Researchers haven’t fully come to an agreement on exactly what it is that dogs are smelling. Jinn hopes to have her results published this year. She said she thinks the humidity might help trap scent particles on the ground and on vegetation instead of letting them be blown away by the wind.
#DOG NOSE SKETCH PORTABLE#
Even rain doesn’t stop her keen sense of smell.īy following the search team with a portable weather station, Jinn found that the dog was able to follow the target hiker’s trail more closely under humid conditions. In the experiment, the target hiker would get a one-hour head start - although Zinka can track people even days later.
Then she used GPS and other sensors attached to the search dog’s harness to record how closely Zinka followed the hiker’s path. The national project has a far-reaching goal: to help develop more effective devices - perhaps even a new generation of robots that seek specific odors - to detect explosives, drugs and other dangerous chemicals in airports, subways, factories and other locations.įor Jinn’s contribution to the project, she set up an experiment in which a “target hiker” would walk a preset route along crisscrossing trails in the park. The collaborators come from disparate fields of study, including animal behavior, genetics, physiology and fluid mechanics, to study how animals use smell to understand their surroundings. The experiment is part of a collaboration between six universities across the country funded by the National Science Foundation’s Brain Initiative. “But it’s picking up now.” Search and rescue dog Zinka and her trainer Shay Cook are able to track target hikers off trail (Josh Cassidy/KQED) “It actually hasn’t been studied very well in the past,” she said. Jinn is wrapping up a study that seeks to shed some light on the surprisingly complex question of how dogs can track a target using tiny amounts of odor that people don’t even notice. “If you've never seen it before, it's pretty amazing.” “It's a treat to go out and watch a search and rescue dog work a trail and see them find the person at the end,” said Judy Jinn, a graduate student in the lab of Dr. One study estimated that dogs can pick up odors up to 100,000 times better than humans can. They also search for missing people lost in natural disasters like fires and earthquakes.īut today, they’re in pursuit of something different: clues in a scientific experiment about how odors disperse over time, and how the brain deciphers information about the invisible world of smells that surround us.Įvery dog owner knows that dogs are able to pick up scents that don’t seem to catch the attention of people.
#DOG NOSE SKETCH FULL#
Their search and rescue training allows them to find a single person across backcountry woods, neighborhoods or even a bustling university campus packed full of students. The duo trains to track people who have passed through an area - hours or even days later. She’s followed by her trainer, Shay Cook, who keeps up at the end of a long leash. On a sunny day near Martinez, California, a friendly-looking German shepherd named Zinka rushes down the crisscrossing trails of Briones Regional Park wearing a vest covered in sensors, batteries and wires.
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