Sniffing out malaria

The African Sahel's dry season lasts for most of the year. When the rain finally begins in spring, thousands of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes suddenly appear. Because the insects emerge so quickly, researchers think that they must be hiding somewhere nearby. If scientists could find those hiding places, they might be able to wipe out the insects and the malaria they transmit. Researchers in Mali may have found a solution in dogs' unique sense of smell. In this Nature Video, we see how a German shepherd named Dana is being trained to sniff out mosquito hideouts. Read the feature: http://www.nature.com/news/malaria-control-the-great-mosquito-hunt-1.15524