In a lab overflowing with circuit boards and bits of wire, electrical engineer Pamela Abshire holds a 5-centimeter-long, rectangle-shaped device between her thumb and index finger. From the bottom of the device, dozens of tiny copper-colored teeth jut out, while up top, a tiny round, clear plastic container covers a bright yellow square with a tick-sized silicon chip at its center. Abshire is hoping the clear plastic container will soon house odor-sensing mammalian cells that can detect drugs, explosives, or bodies buried under rubble.
Abshire and her colleagues have spent the last few years pondering how to employ the keen smell of a dog's nose without having to actually employ a dog. Dogs can sniff out anything, but each one costs more than $100,000 to train, and they quickly get bored and tired.
When interviewing for a position at ...
