25-09 - Flipbook - Page 139
September
August 2025
"It's not enough to know the components of what's inside a sample," says
Mershin. "The ingredients of a cake tell
us little about the taste of the cake, or
the smell of the cake. That has to happen after your sensors interact with
these volatiles, and your brain processes that information and turns it into a
perceptual experience.
"We're looking for patterns in sensory
activation which is closer to what you
do as a mind, as a brain," says Mershin.
Joy, meanwhile, is now working alongside Barran on her research team,
helping her to develop a diagnostic
test for Parkinson's and other conditions.
"We don't use her much for odour detection anymore," says Barran. "She
can do at best 10 samples in a day
and it's quite emotionally exhausting for her. She's 75, so she's precious."
Nevertheless, if Barran's technique could replicate Joy's ability and spot Parkinson's disease
in its early stages, that would be quite a legacy for Joy and Les.
"What I think is remarkable is how Joy and Les were medically trained people, so they knew
that this observation was meaningful," says Barran. "But I think the story here is that everyone
should feel empowered about their health or their friend's health or their family's health, to
make observations and to act if they feel something is wrong."
