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How pigeons are helping catch cancer cases in humans

It sounds a bit bizarre, but it’s tue. Among pigeons’ many talents is providing an extra set of eyes for doctors looking for signs of cancer in medical scans. In 2015, researchers enlisted the unlikely medical assistants to identify breast cancer in mammograms to help prevent imaging misses. Now, another team of scientists has recruited the birds yet again to train AI to help do the same.

In a study published earlier this year, researchers trained six pigeons to watch CT scan videos and spot lung nodules, a type of growth that could be a sign of cancer. After the birds learned to spot the lung nodules, they also started recognizing emphysema and ground-glass nodules — both problems they hadn’t even been trained on.

Here’s where AI comes in: The researchers are now trying to channel the pigeon’s keen visual system, which works similarly to the human’s unconscious visual system, to develop medical AI tools that can double, triple, and quadruple check scans. They noted that the pigeon-inspired method will by no means replace radiologists, but rather help ensure scans are understood as thoroughly as possible. Thanks in advance, pigeons!

—

“I bet your mom would let me.”
-Pigeon, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the B”
-Mo Willems, author, ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!’

 

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Photo credit: Eastside Autobon Society

Source credits: Nice News, New Scientist, Joshua Howego, Popular Science, Clarissa Brincat

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, 01610, Worcester, MA, USA

    Muhammad A. J. Qadri, Reuben R. R. Reyes & Gregory J. DiGirolamo
  • Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, USA

    Daria Kifjak, Bilal Elkaddouri, Alexander A. Bankier, Max P. Rosen & Gregory J. DiGirolamo

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43 responses »

  9. “Don’t Worry”

    I’m a plain-grey old pigeon,
    just one of our worldwide flock,
    and under nature’s supervision
    we’re allowed to fly anywhere
    across this land’s hostile block.
    You’ll find us almost everywhere —
    even from your comfortable armchair.

    We carry no government welfare,
    and our feathered software
    soars above your international nightmare —
    untouched by the world’s worrying affair
    with that relentless viral malware. … Ivor Steven © July 2026

    Liked by 3 people

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  11. I learned long ago what a misnomer “birdbrain” is. Crows are incredibly smart and can use tools. Parrots can say and do all sorts of things. I wrote about magpies that tricked researchers trying to study their habits. So I’m not at all surprised to hear about these prescient pigeons. But it’s great news.

    We have so much to learn from our fellow fauna!

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. Coincidentally, last night I read an article by Elizabeth Nolan Brown in the latest issue of Reason magazine that begins:

    “Artificial intelligence (AI) systems may outperform doctors at diagnosing patients. In a recent series of experiments led by researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, a preview of the OpenAl large language model (LLM) known as o1 bested human physicians in multiple tests of clinical and diagnostic reasoning.”

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  19. Pigeons are so wonderful. They have been treated poorly and did so much for American during the war. Afterward were just let go and ignored. Maybe people will see them for what they are, beautiful beings who are intelligent and willing to help us even thought we don’t really deserve it. Your photo is lovely.

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  22. This sounds so strange and fascinating at the same time, Beth. Who knew pigeons could be so useful and so interesting to think how this knowledge and training will be enhanced with the use of AI!

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  24. Many animals have very keen senses. Our Leonberger dog Bronco recognized (smelled?) that our Labrador (Baylor) soon was going to have an insulin shock (he had diabetes). We were in the process of going to bed so he might have saved his life. He was not train to do that.

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  26. I loved ‘letter carrying pigeons’. I disliked all the pigeons shitting on everything and all (including once my priestly, just bought and 1st time worn silk outfit!). Now I’m in awe – and continue to be amazed what wonders nature, sea, flora and fauna has still in store for us to discover.

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  27. Wow that’s amazing 😍 I’m impressed with the pigeons and with the human that figured that out.

    We have two pairs of pigeons nesting in the trees next to our patio. I have watched their clumsy landings with amusement, but obviously it’s not their eyesight that is the problem. 😀 Thank you for such fascinating information.

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