Diagnosing diseases via body odor

+ India, Canada and the Khalistan movement US Edition - Today's top story: Your unique body odor could identify who you are and provide insights into your health – all from the touch of a hand [View in browser]( US Edition | 20 September 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Canada, India and a diplomatic spat few saw coming]( - [Morocco grapples with the loss of a 12th-century mosque]( - [Looking back at Jim Croce’s legacy 50 years after the folk singer’s tragic death]( Lead story Your body is a bouquet of scents. From the sweat and oils rising through your skin to the microbes transforming these secretions into gases, your unique odor wafts around you and into your environment everywhere you go. And one day, scents may be used to pinpoint people in a police lineup or diagnose a disease in a clinic. Smell researchers Chantrell Frazier, Vidia Gokool and Kenneth Furton have found that hand odor samples can be used to [distinguish race, ethnicity, sex and other traits]( with relatively high accuracy. Odors can also identify people who are COVID-19 positive or negative. “Further research into human scent analysis can help fill the gaps in our understanding of the individuality of human scent and how to apply this information in forensic and biomedical labs,” they write. If our journalism passes your sniff test, we hope you will [partner with us to make our work possible](. Thank you! Vivian Lam Associate Health and Biomedicine Editor The scent emitted from your hands could offer clues about who you are. Siro Rodenas Cortes/Moment via Getty Images [Your unique body odor could identify who you are and provide insights into your health – all from the touch of a hand]( Chantrell Frazier, Framingham State University; Kenneth G. Furton, Florida International University; Vidia A. Gokool, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Human scent could one day be used as evidence in forensics and as diagnostic information in medicine. Politics + Society - [Why India fears the Khalistan movement and how Canada became embroiled in diplomatic spat over killing of Sikh separatist]( Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of ‘credible allegations’ of Indian involvement in a Sikh leader’s death. - [Americans do talk about peace − just not the same way people do in other countries]( Peter Dixon, Columbia University; Amy E Lerman, University of California, Berkeley; Fiorella Vera-Adrianzén, Santa Clara University; Naomi Levy, Santa Clara University While Americans tend not to use the word “peace,” and instead opt for terms like “safety and security,” their desires and fears are not so different from what people in war-torn places express. - [How local police could help prevent another January 6th-style insurrection]( Matthew Valasik, University of Alabama; Shannon Reid, University of North Carolina – Charlotte The Proud Boys are more of a loosely affiliated street gang than they are a unified right-wing militia, researchers say. But police ignore the threats from these groups, and their threats grow. Ethics + Religion - [Tinmel – Morocco’s medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake]( Abbey Stockstill, Southern Methodist University Morocco is grappling not just with the loss of lives from the recent earthquake, but with the destruction of its cultural heritage – a 12th century mosque in the village of Tinmel is among them. Arts + Culture - [‘Time In A Bottle’: Jim Croce’s music continues to inspire 50 years after his life was cut short]( Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University Jim Croce’s brief time in the national spotlight was enough to put a bevy of songs in heavy rotation on radio stations – and on stage in the hands of a lengthy A-list of fellow musicians. Environment + Energy - [Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you]( Jacob S. Suissa, University of Tennessee; Ben Goulet-Scott, Harvard University Botanizing is the practice of observing and appreciating plant life. Two plant scientists explain how it benefits people and the planet. Education - [What can board games teach students about climate change?]( Debra J. Rosenthal, John Carroll University While most board games are designed for one person to win, climate change games are about saving the world. Science + Technology - [Art and science entwined: This course explores the long, interrelated history of two ways of seeing the world]( Katherine Reinhart, Binghamton University, State University of New York Art and science may seem like opposites, but throughout history the disciplines have fed off each other − and still do today. Economy + Business - [Morocco’s earthquake and Libya’s floods highlight obstacles to relief efforts, from botched disaster diplomacy to destroyed infrastructure]( William Lawrence, American University With Morocco, there’s stronger bureaucracy, and in Libya, authorities are weaker. But, as a scholar who has worked in both countries explains, the results are the same: not enough aid getting through. Trending on site - [What happens if you need to pee while you’re asleep?]( - [Dopamine is a brain chemical famously linked to mood and pleasure − but researchers have found multiple types of dopamine neurons with different functions]( - [What is USB-C? A computer engineer explains the one device connector to rule them all]( Today's graphic 📈 [In over a decade of surveys, Yale and George Mason University have asked adults across the U.S. if they were worried about global warming. Those ‘very worried’ have risen to about 30%.]( From the story, [Keeping your cool in a warming world: 8 steps to help manage eco-anxiety]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? Follow us: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Spoutible]( • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [LinkedIn]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](