• sartalon@lemmy.world
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    27 days ago

    There was a brief moment, while I was going through SERE training, in the Navy; it was before we were “captured” but long enough that I hadn’t eaten in a while. We were in the low mountains of SoCal, dry and hot. Whenever we would stop movement for a moment and take a seat, I could smell when an ant was on me.

    I didn’t recognize what the smell was at first until I saw an ant, after smelling it. I hooked him on my finger and brought him close to my nose and it was clear, he was the source.

    I couldn’t describe it very well though, not a common smell to me. Never experienced it since.

    Maybe it was the combination of no food or bathing, and heightened stress. My SiL also went through SERE, says she has no idea what I was talking about, and just makes fun of me about it. But she’s also the type of person who would lie about it, just to fuck with me.

    So who knows.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      27 days ago

      It’s a genetic quirk, entirely possible they don’t have it and you do. There’s definitely a thing with real hunger and increased senses too though. I experienced the same thing in Iraq when we out ran our supply lines and went on severe rationing.

    • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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      26 days ago

      Gonna starve myself to see if I have the ant smelling superpower

        • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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          24 days ago

          So far it’s going terrible. I can’t find a single ant to get a control test done. I swear these little fellas were everywhere until they heard my plans to begin developing this superpower now they’re nowhere to be seen.

        • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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          14 days ago

          OK I have done the experiment. It was a massive failure.

          So on a normal day I cannot smell ants. I can smell ants if I’m close and I squash them so I now know what they smell like.

          I fasted for almost 3 days and I tried to smell ants each day and I could never smell them.

          I did learn that they bite and I got bit a lot.