This is TED Health, a podcast from the TED Audio Collective. I'm your host, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleiter.

Could the key to preventing the next pandemic be right under our noses, or rather, in the noses of our

animal companions? Researcher Glenn Golden's work explores this fascinating possibility.

From ferrets with a knack for sniffing out bird flu to dogs that can spot chronic wasting

disease in deer, Golden's research is turning our furry friends into frontline defenders against

pandemics.

And here's the kicker.

What if we could harness that animal magic into groundbreaking technology?

Like a smoke detector that could also tell you you're coming down with the flu before you

even feel a sniffle.

It's just one of the many ways that your pet and your nose might lead us into a healthier future.

But before we dive in, a quick break to hear from our sponsors.

And now Glenn Golden takes the TED stage.

You know how smoke detectors work, right?

So imagine if we had something like a smoke detector, but for diseases.

Instead of testing the air for smoke particles, this alarm would look for tiny traces of an odor profile associated with being infected by a virus, for example, all day long, 24-7.

But the second the odor profile reached a certain concentration, the alarm would start blaring.

Immediately, you would know that you were sick, that you should see a doctor, or at the very

least that you should isolate yourself.

Ideally, this mechanical nose would sniff out a virus before you showed any symptoms

or spread it to anyone else.

Because if we learned anything from the COVID-19

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