Scientists have discovered that pigeons can be trained to distinguish cancerous from healthy breast tissue samples with the same accuracy as humans. The pigeons were able to generalize what they learned and correctly identify tumors in unseen microscope images. However, they struggled with a mammogram test that involved recognizing suspicious lumps. Despite this, the pigeons’ ability could potentially improve new image-based diagnosis technologies. The study highlights the impressive capabilities of pigeons, such as their visual memory capacity and their ability to distinguish various objects and images. Overall, pigeons may have a role to play in assisting researchers and engineers in developing imaging-based cancer diagnostic tools.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Updated Privacy and Cookies Policy | Policy update | More comprehensive privacy protections | Increasing concerns about data privacy |
| Pigeons identify breast cancer ‘as well as humans’ | Pigeons as diagnosticians | Pigeons assisting in developing imaging-based cancer diagnostic tools | Need for more efficient and cost-effective diagnostic tools |