drug-sniffing bees

Bees and wasps are trained using classical conditioning, being exposed to a particular odour and then rewarded with a sugar solution. Within five minutes they learn to associate the smell with an impending supply of food and this triggers the proboscis extension reflex (sticking out their tongues).

Trained hymenoptera have been shown to successfully detect explosive materials including TNT, Semtex, and C-4 as well as gunpowder and propellants. Wasps can be trained to detect the early signs of fungal disease on crops and may have medicinal value, identifying people with cancer just by being exposed to their breath. Bees have been shown to detect and respond to more than 60 different odours including methamphetamine, uranium, and tuberculosis. They have been used to detect lung and skin cancers, diabetes, and to confirm pregnancy.

sick

Yesterday, at 5:00, I got a flu shot. After supper, around 7:30, I had an annoying cough. About 9:45, I noticed a slight headache, that was definitely the early signs of illness. After a while, it became worse, and then I noticed aches in the body. By the time I went to bed, at 11:45, I was chilled and shivering uncontrollably. I woke up at 2:00, sweating, and turned the heated mattress pad off. When I woke up around 9:00, I was still very warm, and didn't cool off until sometime after I got up. My head hurt for a while, but it went away after took an ibuprofen.

For the rest of the day, I've been a bit weak, my eyes are kinda gummy, my throat has a not-quite-right feeling, and my sense of taste is bad.