Gizmodo
If you were concerned that you had cancer, would you go to see a doctor or would you consult some bees? I bet you said doctor, didn't you? No fun! If you used one of Susana Soares "alternative diagnosis tools" you'd be relying on bees instead for some goddamned insane reason.
She's making artsy glass orbs that have specially sized compartments inside. The bees buzz around inside, and when you blow into them they either fly around like the stupid bees that they are or they fly into the compartments depending on what the diagnosis is. It works because bees have very sensitive senses of smell and can be trained to target specific odors that appear in your breath when you're sick.
Would this be cheaper than seeing a doctor? Yes, yes it would, but I think I would want a second opinion from a non-insect if a bee told me I had a terminal illness. But hey, if you don't have health insurance I guess there are worse animals you could go to for medical consultations. [MOMA via Dvice]
Comments
WoW
Where are the pictures of people who suck instead of blow? This too could suffer from medical malpractice suits when they don't provide sufficient directions for use and people end up with stings inside their mouths.
I don't know if I could trust a mindless drones medical diagnosis
We already know the bees are wrong. It's never Lupis!
Can it smell Herpes?
And once the bees diagnose me, I'll hire leeches to perform the surgery...
I think I'd prefer to see a doctor, at least they can spell Lupus
Stupid bees
Bees are crazy smart for insects. Not saying I'd have brain surgery based on their diagnosis, but I could definitely see the value in something like this.
I thought all the bees died? They all had Global Bee AIDS Warming or something...
@Spud387: Diggin the House reference. And how exactly do you train the bees to react in a predicable fashion to the scents?
A friends of mine with MS medicates with bee stings. Apparently, this works for many people.
As for me, if I take this out to a bar, can it do BAC testing?
Cherokee Hair Tampons anyone?
God, your images are pure gold.
Um, does anyone else see an extremely elaborate bong that spawned a very elaborate idea involving a bong-like piece of glass? I smell a Nobel Prize.
Please Bee Patients TURN OFF ALL CELLPHONES
It's never lupus!
@Hestika: methinks you meant BrAC. Contrary to the CSI educated culture we live in, BAC is B.lood A.cohol C.ontent, so unless you plan on smashing the glass and going Owen Wilson on yourself with the shards to figure out how many drinks you can have and still drive home legally, BrAC would definately be the less painful option for you....just trying to look out for a fellow Giz reader....
THE BUZZ!
Photo: Best. DIY-bong. Ever.
What happens when all the bees die of Colony Collapse Disorder (yes I watch 60 Minutes)?
@MagnoliaBoy: That would result in a catastrophic blow to our food supply. They
Get this!
Remember when Vampira and Tor Johnson reappeared as ghouls in Plan 9 From Outer Space - there is a distinctive bee-like buzzing sound... I think Ed Wood was onto something and Susana Soares might bee!
@tutelary: whoops..they have indeed died out on a wide scale from a currently unknown illness, but they aren't all dead by a long shot.
So how is this any different than having a Cat scan (mew)? Or a Lab test (woof)?
bout time!!! I was getting tired of having to rely on worthless doctors and science to diagnose my illnesses.
It mentioned that the bees "were" trained?
"It works because bees have very sensitive senses of smell and can be trained to target specific odors that appear in your breath when you're sick."
Who trains the bees? Do they go find cancer patients to blow on the bees or something?
Hey man, you gotta try some of this African Bee...dude...it'll blow your miiiiiind! Where's the Doritos?
This is a beeautiful idea. I can see what all the buzz is about. I think I should call my honey and tell her that this is truly the bees knees. I bet people are just going to swarm to this new kind of medical diagnoses and all we will hear about for the next 9 months is this hive jive.
Double buzz even!
Guys, your puns aren't funny. They're just a pollen.
- Kaff - kaff - Hrk.
Smash. Bzzz.
Diagnosis: Allergic to bees!
So *that's* how you get funding for bong R&D.
This reminds me of that dog that can smell cancer, or the other dog that knows when someone is about to die. I am no Yanni loving hippie, but I do think there are a lot of biological mechanisms that are exponentially more complex and accurate than any machine we mere humans have invented as of yet.
Q:
If her bees say "Herpes,
but my bees say "Maybe."
And their bees chant their "Therapy"s,
while dyslexic bees hum "BSE"s...
I have one question if you please,
what answer comes from his trained bees?
A: "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis"
Dude...the bong... I think I just inhaled a bee.
I'm guessing that writing out the prescription will be a difficulty after the consult because a)they're trapped in a bong, and um, b)they're bees.
I am an I.D. student and Syracuse University and I she is the visiting designer this semester. She teaches one of my classes, and there is a lot of science to back up the whole thing. Apparently, the bees can detect some diseases quicker and more accurately than the alternative lab tests can.
Doctor: So why do you think you have cancer?
You: The bees told me I had cancer...
Doctor: The bees?
You: Yea, the bees... I blew into a bong and the bees told me I had cancer...
Doctor: Excuse me for a few minutes.
:enter cops and / or men in white coats:
One thing the giz forgot to mention... It also detects fertility cycles!
@jonny: That was my hang-up.
Patient: "Doctor, the bees told me I had strep throat! It's red and inflamed!"
Dr: "Was that before or after you inhaled an angry bee?"
Now, if I pass some gas on this pipe:
Would the bees be able to tell me what I ate that upset my stomach or simply die off?
I had to ask....
@Rizzuh: I might be slightly less offended by your statement if I understood it, you know how uneducated us injuns are...
So does it come with bees, or do you have to provide your own?
Just don't inhale, you might get stung in your mouth!
"Is this legal?"
"Only for those who enjoy it."
Red Right Hand,
The comment was a reference to a South Park episode:
[en.wikipedia.org]
I'm afraid that I cannot use this new bee-based technology due to my last incident with a bee-doctor who informed me that I was allergic in a most inappropriate manner.
They look like normal bugs, but each one is a highly trained specialist with a Ph.B.
Bee toking. Hell yeah.
I wounder if thats where Mr. Jobs got an advice to seek hollistic treatments for pancreatic cancer.
+ Watch video
Not the bees! They're in my eyes!
If you knowingly load the bong with African killer bees and somebody dies, does it constitute a pre-meditated murder or is it just an accident?
'you can really catch a buzz off this new pipe I made dude'
I'm sorry, it's early - that's the best I got.
@shoelessone:
Not God; Jesus!
@Xavoc:
lol