Pigeons can identify cancerous tissue on x-rays, study finds
by Ellen Brait in New York from on (#V50T)
Three experiments found that the birds can pick out diseased breast tissue with an accuracy rate of up to 99% and could help develop new imaging techniques
Pigeons can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue in x-rays and microscope slides with an accuracy rate of up to 99%, according to a new study in Plos One.
In a series of three experiments, led by Richard Levenson, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, it was found that pigeons have the capacity to learn how to identify whether an image shows healthy or cancerous breast tissue. The birds "share many visual system properties with humans", according to the study.
