Asked by: Alexandra Ichim, Dublin, Ireland
Dogs are highly social animals and certainly sense when we are unhappy or in pain. A 2004 study also found that they can be trained to detect bladder cancer from the smell of the patient’s urine. So it’s certainly possible that dogs may be able to tell when someone is seriously ill. But there’s no evidence that they have any sixth sense that can tell you’ll be hit by a bus tomorrow.
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Authors
Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.
