The federal government has tried to use technologies to mimic their effectiveness, but as Ron Nixon explains in the NYT, when it comes to sniffing out the chemicals that can be used in a bomb, nothing quite beats the nose of a dog: “Dogs can detect a teaspoon of chemical in a million gallons of water — nearly enough to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools. They perform at a really high level. They’re like the Peyton Mannings or Brett Favres of canines.”

+ I’m sure Ron Nixon was entirely unaware of this post before making the analogy above: Here Are 15 Dogs Who Look Like Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning.