Scientists use dogs to track down dangerous insects: 'Easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something'
The Wildlife Society reports that organizations like the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Working Dogs for Conservation are putting dogs and their keen sense of smell to good use in the fight against an invasive species: the spotted lanternfly. Sightings of the destructive insect were first confirmed in 2014 in Pennsylvania and have reached at least 18 other states.
As the referenced study published in Ecosphere discovered, humans have spotted visible eggs in vineyards, but canines had 3.4 times more detections than people in more complex areas where the insects overwinter, such as forests. In other words, they can sniff out invasions that aren't obvious to humans.
"The dogs find egg masses by smell," Angela Fuller, professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University, told The Wildlife Society. "So, in a very complex environment, it's easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something that is small and cryptic."
Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species?
Definitely
Depends on the animal
No way
Just let people do it for free
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
These insects are harmful to the environment as they destroy vegetation, including trees. Infestations have killed off entire wine vines in a single growing season.
When plants and trees die, so do several animal habitats and food sources, such as those for beneficial pollinators at the start of the food chain. Most of the planet's oxygen also comes from trees and grass — one tree alone can produce enough oxygen for four people, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Therefore, recruiting pups to protect the health of the plants in these forests and vineyards helps many.
A collaboration between working dogs and nature trails is the perfect storm to battle this invasion. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference boasts over 2,000 volunteers who help keep trails safe. Working Dogs for Conservation gives shelter dogs new life by training them to sniff out biological threats like invasive seedlings.
The collaboration began in 2019, when experts trained a labrador retriever and a Belgian malinois to find live spotted lanternflies through positive reinforcement. Eventually, training evolved into having the dogs identify egg masses, specifically the ones belonging to the lanternflies.
Other important finds by these working dogs have included Chinese bush clover in Iowa and Yellow star thistle in Colorado. The canines even help the biosecurity of an area by distinguishing between disease-infected and uninfected scat from animals of the same species.
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been building and cleaning trails since 1923. You can do your part by keeping areas clean and alerting local authorities if you spot an invasive species.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

an hour ago
US reports the arrest of another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material
DETROIT -- A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. The court filing doesn't indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was risky, though U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said smuggling "threatens our security." The scientist remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing Wednesday. 'It doesn't strike me as something that is dangerous in any way. But there are rules to ship biological material,' said Michael Shapira, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who read the court filing and spoke to The Associated Press. The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the U.S. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody.


Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
US Detains Chinese Scientist for 'Smuggling' Biological Material From Wuhan
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Chinese scientist has been detained by U.S. authorities, accused of smuggling biological materials into the country from the city of Wuhan, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday. Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC), has been charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. for comment by email. Why It Matters Han is the third Chinese national in recent days to be accused of smuggling biological materials into the country. On June 3, the DOJ said two Chinese nationals had allegedly smuggled in a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, which causes a disease called "head blight." It infects major staple crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. The DOJ did not specify what biological material Han allegedly smuggled into the U.S., but said it was "related to roundworms." A University Of Michigan North Campus sign in Ann Arbor on July 30, 2019. A University Of Michigan North Campus sign in Ann Arbor on July 30, To Know Han, a doctoral student at the College of Life Science and Technology at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa, which is issued to people taking part in academic exchange programs, from Shanghai on Sunday. She is accused of sending four packages from China to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan last year and this year containing "concealed biological material." Han was detained was arrested after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an inspection. The DOJ said Han made false statements during questioning about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States. "Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to roundworms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection," the DOJ said. Investigators also said Han deleted the contents of her electronic device three days before she landed in the U.S. "A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. [A] trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed, a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment," the DOJ said. Last week, the DOJ accused Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, of smuggling in Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), which the department described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon." They were arrested and face charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the country, false statements, and visa fraud. FHB already poses a major threat to U.S. agriculture, causing nearly $3 billion in damage since the 1990s, Cornell University's Kerik Cox previously told Newsweek. Cox said that "strains of Fusarium graminearum can vary widely in aggressiveness." What People Are Saying United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said in a statement: "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security. The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions." Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a statement: "The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people. "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by Chengxuan Han is a direct threat to public safety and national security, and it severely compromises the integrity of our nation's research institutions. CBP acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak said in a statement: "The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars. "We will not tolerate the smuggling of regulated biological materials through our ports of entry, and this interdiction is another recent example of our commitment—along with that of our law enforcement partners—to preventing potentially dangerous goods from harming the American people." What Happens Next Han remains in custody ahead of a bond hearing on Wednesday.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Huawei chips are one generation behind US but firm finding workarounds, CEO says
By Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) -Huawei Technologies' chips are one generation behind those of U.S. peers but the firm is finding ways to improve performance through methods such as cluster computing, Chinese state media quoted CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying on Tuesday. The chipmaker invests 180 billion yuan ($25.07 billion) in research annually and sees promise in compound chips - chips made from multiple elements - Ren said in an interview with the People's Daily newspaper of the governing Communist Party. There is "no need to worry about the chip problem", Ren said, addressing concerns stemming from U.S. export controls. The article, published on the front page of the newspaper, come as top U.S. and Chinese officials are set to resume trade talks for a second day in London where topics such U.S. tech restrictions on China are expected to be discussed. Since 2019, a slew of U.S. export curbs, aimed at curbing China's technological and military advancements, have restricted Huawei and other Chinese firms from accessing high-end chips and the equipment needed to produce them from abroad. Ren's comments are the first ever from him or Huawei about the company's advanced chipmaking efforts, which have become a flashpoint in U.S.-China tensions. Huawei is just one of many Chinese chipmakers, Ren said in the interview, adding: "The United States has exaggerated Huawei's achievements. Huawei is not that great. We have to work hard to reach their evaluation." "Our single chip is still behind the U.S. by a generation. We use mathematics to supplement physics, non-Moore's law to supplement Moore's law and cluster computing to supplement single chips and the results can also achieve practical conditions. Software is not a bottleneck for us," he said. Cluster computing is when multiple computers work together. Moore's law refers to the speed of chip advancement. HUAWEI'S LAUNCHES Huawei's Ascend series of AI chips compete in China with offerings from Nvidia, the global leader in AI chips. The U.S. commerce department last month said the use of Ascend chips would be a violation of export controls. Nvidia's AI chips are more powerful than Huawei's but the company has been barred by Washington from selling its most sophisticated chips to China, causing it to lose significant market share to Huawei. In April, Huawei launched "AI CloudMatrix 384", a system that links 384 Ascend 910C chips in a cluster that companies can use to train AI models, which has been described by analysts as able to outperform Nvidia's GB200 NVL72 system on some metrics. Dylan Patel, founder of semiconductor research group SemiAnalysis, said in an article that month that it meant that Huawei and China now had AI system capabilities that could beat Nvidia. Nvidia and the U.S. commerce department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ren's remarks. Ren also said about a third of Huawei's annual research spending went to theoretical research while the rest was spent on product research and development. "Without theory, there will be no breakthroughs, and we will not catch up with the United States." ($1 = 7.1802 Chinese yuan)