I theorize that someone who knows they are going to die in the near future may have a different and perhaps unique smell as compared to the average person. Even if the person sincerely believes he is going to paradise -- that the virgins are waiting -- nevertheless, his body "knows" and may react. The sweat of fear is different. Dogs could be trained to respond to the scent of condemned men and woman. The state of Texas death row would be a good location for such a training facility. Someday, perhaps, if this idea worked it could even be used to screen for potential suicides so they could be helped.
-- hangingchad, Nov 01 2004

Don't do it Chad, things'll get better.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 01 2004


I reckon there are probably quite a lot of people who live in fear who are not terrorists.
<rant>Innocent people for instance, whipped into a frenzy by a self serving politician, or, bombed into the same frenzy by the same politician</rant>.
-- neilp, Nov 01 2004


it's not me, it's the dog.
-- benfrost, Nov 01 2004


Trained sniffear dogs?
-- vigilante, Nov 01 2004


[iscottpete] I had completely overlooked the possible huge profits to be made with this idea. Guess I'm just one of those liberal jerks that voted for Kerry.
-- hangingchad, Nov 06 2004


Makes me wonder if the smell of a sociopath about to commit murder is detectable by dogs. I can't really think of a way to safely test for it though.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 06 2004


Seems to me that even if a psycopath or sociopath were detectable by odor (which I doubt) it would be very difficult to make good use of this ability. The psycopath or sociopath is likely to be anywhere in the general population. He/she need carry no explosives or even a weapon of any sort. Some sociopaths (serial killers) have killed their victims by manual strangulation. On the other hand, the suicide-bomber/murderer is likely to be found at such screening places as airports, entrance ways to public events, military checkpoints in Israel etc and is going to have explosives on him/her. Suicide-murderers such as the 9/11 team might be detected and scrutenized even more than the average pissed off and scared air traveler. Chances are, unless their papers were out of order they would then be free to board the airplane once they gave up their nail clippers.
-- hangingchad, Nov 08 2004



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