The Wire

Scientists have revealed an ‘artificial nose’ at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. No, it’s not a bionic nose – but a device that has the ability to detect odours released by blood-poisoning bacteria, potentially saving lives.

The ‘nose’ uses 36 pigment dots that change colour in response to different strains of bacteria within a blood sample, a process that could speed up the detection of blood poisoning by two days and provide more accurate results.