(CBS DETROIT) - Researchers at Michigan State University have found that honey bees could detect lung cancer. Bees have long provided humans with honey, wax, and the pollination of around 80% of our flowering plants, but they could also sniff out cancer in the future. Dogs have been used as a medical diagnostic tool, as they can sense seizures, among other things. However, MSU researchers said bees also have an incredible sense of smell, are cheaper, and require less training and upkeep than dogs. The process starts with brain surgery on the live bees, done under a microscope. "You definitely notice how much your hands shake," said Michael Parnas, a Ph.D candidate at Michigan State University. He said they used a 3D-printed harness to hold the live bee as they opened its head to the part of its brain dealing with smell. "And we can plant an electrode in there to basically record how those are responding as we present odors to the insect. Parnas said they then presented the bees with a mixture replicating the breath of someone with lung cancer, using lab-grown human cancer cells. They found bees could detect biomarkers or chemical concentrations associated with cancer. The insects were not only able to distinguish between cancer and healthy breath but could also differentiate between the six different types of lung cancer cells they smelled. They could also detect very small concentrations of cancer. "Think like one molecule in a swimming pool sort of concentrations," Parnas said. "It doesn't surprise me at all," said Brian Peterson-Roest, the co-founder and president of Bees in the D. Bees in the D is a nonprofit that provides education and conservation for pollinators. Peterson-Roest said bees have an incredible sense of smell. "It's kind of funny, I tell people. With my truck, there's all kinds of bee smells because I take honey frames and stuff like that. Literally within a minute if not 30 seconds, bees start showing up. Because they can smell those different odorants that are in the back of my truck," he said. He said bees are crucial for our food industry and ecosystem and could soon be for our healthcare. MSU researchers said the science on cancer detection is early, but they hope that based on their findings, people could soon get a noninvasive early-detection cancer test.

(CBS DETROIT) - All operations at Wayne State University will remain online until further notice. The university cites safety concerns with a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. All classes have been moved online, as well as an orientation scheduled for Wednesday. All faculty and staff have been told to work remotely, and all events on campus have been canceled. "There's no safety concern here. We're peaceful protestors," said Ali Hassan, a Wayne State University student and president of the Muslim Coalition. He said the university moving operations online shows just how much power the encampment has. "We feel good. We feel as if this is the university, not having the upper hand on us." The university cited a "public safety issue" as their reason for moving classes online. "I think if that is true, then they should talk to the Fire Marshall they sent down here twice," said Hassan. Demonstrators said previously they were told to remove electrical cords and rubbing alcohol, and they complied. They also condensed their camp to keep walkways open. Patrick Lindsey, the university's vice president of Government and Community Relations, visited the encampment on Tuesday and offered two students an in-person meeting. "The offer still stands to meet with both President Espy, Gov. Stancato, and myself," Lindsey said in a YouTube video posted by WSU. Demonstrators turned the offer down, saying they want to be able to send whoever they choose into the meeting. They said the two students chosen to participate in the meeting were not Palestinian. Adding that they would want any meeting with the university president to be open to the public "We need to meet on our terms as well. This isn't the representation we want for a meeting to discuss divestment," said an encampment organizer. The group said they have no plans to leave the encampment until the university meets with them under their conditions and agrees to start divesting from companies and funds tied to Israel. "The university has a rich history in divestment. They've divested during the South African apartheid. They divested in tobacco companies. They've done this. This university is built off of social justice. So it's very possible," said Hassan. The encampment has been in place since last Thursday. WSU told the encampment to disperse by 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the group refused.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Clinton Township declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday following the massive industrial fire that left one person dead. They did so with the hopes of being reimbursed for damages from the fire. While the fire is now out, there are still public safety concerns. Officials are warning the public to be aware of undamaged butane canisters that could explode. Officials said the warehouse, owned by Select Distributors, a vaping materials supplier, illegally held hundreds, if not thousands, of 10-15 pound canisters. "They were not permitted to have them in this building. They were illegally in that building," said Clinton Township Mayor Robert Cannon. The building was last inspected in 2022. "Since then, we've had one complaint on the property, and that had nothing to do with anything internal. It was for the storage of duck boats out in front of the business, which was in violation of their site planning usage," said Barry Miller with the building department. Most of the butane canisters exploded in the fire, but some remain undamaged, pressurized, and capable of exploding. Public works have been clearing debris from every yard and sidewalk in a two-mile radius of the blast. They have found 25 undamaged canisters and have turned them over to the Michigan State bomb squad. Cannon said people have been collecting the canisters like souvenirs. "Please don't put yourself, your family, and your friends in jeopardy because those are dangerous," said Cannon. "Anybody who saw anything at all from last night knows what could possibly happen to them. If you go, take a look at some of the buildings where they are embedded in the building or in the roofs of buildings in the area. You don't want those in your car, or in your home, or near any family members. Please don't do it." Marie Ainsworth was one of the many residents who collected debris from the explosion. Before she knew about the dangers, she had picked up a butane canister with plans to show it to her coworkers. "And I did," she said. "Until I got the phone call and all the notification. 'That can explode.' I said, 'Oh, I think I better leave.'" She then wanted to turn it over to officials and drove it over to the scene of the fire very carefully. "Serious, it was 'I'm not taking this road cause it's too bumpy.' Easy on them breaks." Crews at the site, however, are not accepting canisters. Anyone with one must call the city and turn it over to the bomb squad. The Clinton Township Fire Chief said the investigation into the fire will take time – and they are grateful for the support they've received. "I'm exceptionally proud of our people, the people that came in to help from the other communities. So it's chaos, but it was controlled chaos," said Chief Tim Duncan. Police said the owners of the facility are being cooperative. They and the employees who were there at the time of the fire are being questioned.

(CBS DETROIT) - For most, fishing is simply an enjoyable pastime, but for some, fishing is a way to help the environment and solve crimes. Magnet fishing is a growing hobby, where people search bodies of water using magnets. "I never realized how much garbage is at the bottom of our waterways," said magnet fisher Jason Vanderwall. "People think that our waterways are their personal trash cans." Vanderwall started magnet fishing as a pandemic hobby, a way to get outside with his daughter Avery and help clean up the environment. Eventually, Vanderwall started posting his finds online, and Motor City Magnet Magnet Fishers was born. They have found 60 bicycles, a few motorcycles, and garnered hundreds of thousands of followers across their multiple social media platforms. "I hated regular fishing," said Randy Burns. Burns said he got into magnet fishing when he was going through a hard time. His father had recently died and he was looking for something to help him get through it. "To take my mind off of it, and to get out and start enjoying life a little bit again," said Burns. That's when he came across Vanderwall's videos and eventually joined him. Burns said they now go fishing every weekend, across different parts of Michigan. "One inch to the left or the right can make a difference in a good day and a bad day," he said. Burns said with regular fishing, you can go all day and not get a bite. But magnet fishing has proven to be fruitful. They have pulled out toxic e-scooter batteries, hundreds of feet of fishing line, and even a few pipe bombs. "The history really drives me," said Burns. "And the idea of where you came from. What's the story behind what we just pulled up." Magnet fishing involves throwing a powerful magnet into the water, dragging it across the bottom, and seeing what you pull up. CBS News Detroit reporter Kelly Vaughen joined them magnet fishing in the Detroit River. In one throw, she pulled up handcuffs, a large hunting knife, and an old revolver. The Motor City Magnet Fishers have found nearly 100 firearms in Michigan. Just a few weeks ago in Lansing, they even found a gun that police dive teams were actively searching for. "I think it was the third or fourth throw. we ended up pulling out that firearm they were looking for," said Vanderwall. "But it was about 200 yards away from where they were looking." Whenever they find a gun or potential explosive, they turn them over to authorities. Throughout our morning with the magnet fishers, we found plenty of other gun parts, including a shotgun barrel, a slide to a gun, and a Glock 9mm magazine. We also pulled out old keys, railroad spikes, tools, and a pager. They said it's that feeling of uncovering a mystery that has helped spread magnet fishing around the world. But Detroit is a particularly great spot. "There's a lot of history in the Detroit River. I mean, Detroit was founded in 1701. So that's 322 years of people just putting garbage in the river," said Vanderwall. "I got a magazine loaded with three rounds from a Boys 55 caliber anti-tank rifle, which is a British rifle during World War II. So that was really cool." They have also found a mortar round from World War II and a Federal-Mogul porcelain sign from the 40s. The sign is the only find they've ever sold. "I sold it for $350, it was actually estimated to be worth about $650. But the gentleman that purchased it from me was a sign collector and I knew it was going to a good home, and it wasn't just going to be resold for profit," said Vanderwall. But some of their finds can be disturbing. "We found a dog, somebody had drowned him. That was the second dog we found in that park. And both days, you go home with your head hung low, you feel bad, and you lose a lot of faith in humanity." But the Motor City Magnet Fishers keep coming back for the good. Whether that's cleaning up our waterways, helping a kayaker recover their lost keys, or finding secrets hidden just beneath us. While they have pulled up most anything you can think of, Vanderwall said he does hope to find a cannonball someday from the Revolutionary or Civil War, or even from the War of 1812 He said if you have any interest in magnet fishing to give it a try, as it's a great way to get outdoors and spend time with your friends and family. It can also be a decent workout with all the throwing and pulling involved. Vanderwall said you will almost always end up finding something, but if you do come up empty-handed, be grateful your waterways are clean. More from CBS News

(CBS DETROIT) - Two families are suing the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, claiming their loved one's official cause of death was changed in an effort to falsely lower murder rates. The lawyer for the families said the changes were made without notification or proper evidence. "When you change that death determination from a homicide to a suicide, number one the first thing that happens is the investigation stops, completely stops," said attorney Dionne Webster-Cox. "And now you get to report and say, 'our numbers have gotten better.'" Webster-Cox represents the family of Isaiah White, who was found dead at his home in Detroit on Sept. 21, 2021. "My cousin just shot himself," said the 911 caller. "I was playing a game, and I just heard a big boom." Detroit police responded to the call and found the 21-year-old dead on the couch, a single gunshot wound to his head. Police body camera footage shows the 911 caller and the caller's family talking to law enforcement about White's mental health. They tell police White had dealt with depression and self-harm in the past. When White's parents got the call, they said they were in shock. White had just spoken with them that day asking for help paying his rent. "Who would try to make arrangements to pay their rent the same day, and then later on that night kill themselves?" said his mother, Melanie White. "I was not accepting what happened to him." At the scene, police also started to raise questions, one suggests to the others that the shooting "might not be a suicide." Body camera footage shows the officers investigating the scene. They said that before the gunshot, White appeared to have been on the couch, smoking in front of the TV. "The only thing that's throwing me off is the cigar in his hand," said one officer. Isaiah was still holding it in his right hand. "And where he was shot," said the officer wearing the body camera. Isaiah was shot in the back of his head on the left side. The officer discussed the shotgun that was used, and its placement at the scene. And questioned if White would have been able to hold the shotgun one-handed, with his non-dominant hand, and shoot the back of his head. The officers said the scene needed further investigation by the Detroit Police Homicide Unit, who arrived after the body camera video ends. "In the medical examiner's report, it said the manner of death has to be a homicide, clear as day," said White's father, Darren Pollard. The Postmortem Report said the "investigation revealed that the decedent could not have shot himself in the back of the head with the shotgun in question and only using his left hand. Thus, the manner of death is homicide." White's death certificate also said homicide. After his funeral, White's mother found a new addendum to the Postmortem Report. It changed White's death from a homicide to a suicide. White's family said they were never told about the change. In the Addendum Report, the deputy chief medical examiner wrote that "further investigation by police revealed that this wound was self-inflicted." The report cited blood pattern analysis that revealed that "although it was not the decedent's dominant hand it is possible for him to have inflicted this injury himself. Thus, the manner of death is amended to suicide." The addendum also cites White's past suicidal ideations. "I mean we all have mental health issues at times, does that mean he doesn't get a fair investigation?" said Pollard. CBS News Detroit reached out to the University of Michigan, which was operating the Medical Examiner's Office at the time of the allegations. They said they can not respond to our questions as it involves pending litigation. "There's a bigger picture here," said attorney Webster-Cox. "It's not just the two families I have, there's more to it than that." Webster-Cox also represents the family of Kaniesha Coleman, who was shot in the abdomen in July 2020. Coleman's death was determined to be a homicide, then months later switched to suicide. Webster-Cox said in both cases the scientific evidence did not support changing the death determinations. "So a right-handed person shoots themself in the back of the head with their left hand, and it's a shotgun, a long 19 inches. How does that happen?" she said, referring to White's case. "Make it make sense for me and I'll leave it alone." The families said they feel like collateral damage in a system that doesn't care about them. "It's just another black kid that's dead," said Melanie White. "I think they're also trying to keep down their homicide rates. The families said they're filing the lawsuit to get answers about what led to the cause of death changes. "Because it was a young Black male, appeared to be all alone. They didn't know that he had a family that was willing to fight for him. They felt they could just push his life under the rug as if he never existed," said Pollard. "We can't live with that."

(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit rapper and TiKTok star hopes to revitalize the neighborhood he grew up in with his "Buy the Block" campaign. After months of work, he's made his first purchases. "Everything about me that people see on the internet, this was the foundation right here," said Tray Little, a rapper, influencer, and entrepreneur born and raised in Detroit. "My grandad would give me $5 to go to a studio up the street, and I would go record full songs. And after that around 16, I went on tour and started doing music all around the country. And it all started in this neighborhood." After leaving home, Little said he found it hard to go back, and it was hard to relive his childhood memories. But in 2020, he was pulled back to his childhood home on Detroit's west side when he saw online that it was for sale for just $1,000. "We went back, and I've seen a lot of abandonment. And I remember it being filled with people, filled with houses, kids running up the block, green grass, and everything," Little said. "And coming back it was hard to see that a lot of stuff was torn down and abandoned and trash everywhere." Someone else bought that house, but Little got a bigger idea: to buy the block. He started learning about real estate, getting guidance and dreamed of revitalizing his old neighborhood. His old home, and the properties around it. He shared his "Buy the Block" campaign with his followers online. Seven months and millions of views later, Little bought a house and four lots on the block. "I'm thinking about gardens, and I want to renovate this house,' he said. "My goal is not to tear it down but to actually renovate it. His following on social media supported him and gave him guidance as he figured out the process step by step. "I was being held accountable and encouraged by a lot of people, including people from the neighborhood." And he is not done. Little said he knows the people that live in the neighborhood, some have been there for generations, and he wants them to have as much ownership as possible. "When their great-great grandmas passed these houses down, or grandparents, they knew not to give this up. So that's the vision, showing people that them holding on and staying strong was worth it." Little said he plans to continue to learn, to get his real estate license, and to buy up and renovate the block. "I had a really rough life, so for me to be a part of something that's bigger than myself is giving me a purpose every day." Those interested in learning more about the project can email BuyTheBlockDetroit@Gmail.com.

(CBS DETROIT) - Detroit is launching a new self-driving shuttle program this year. The program will be for Detroit's seniors and those with disabilities. The Detroit Automated Driving System is meant to give that independence to the city's older adults and people with disabilities who lack adequate transportation. The shuttle will take passengers to the store, doctor's appointments, or other destinations free of charge. The program is for people 65 and older or people with a disability who live in one of two zones. The "West Zone" includes residents in the Virginia Park Community, Russell Woods, Boston Edison, New Center, North End, Elijah McCoy, LaSalle Gardens, and Dexter/Linwood. The "East Zone" includes Islandview, Eastern Market, McDougall Hunt/Greater Villages, Lafayette Park, and Elmwood Park residents. The program could expand after the pilot. The city gave the $2.4 million contract to create the autonomous shuttles to May Mobility, a company based in Ann Arbor. "We might even wonder why people were driving cars in the first place," said Edwin Olson, the CEO and Co-Founder of May Mobility. The self-driving shuttles are cars covered in radars, lasers, and cameras that allow the vehicle to look in every direction at all times. Passengers won't be completely alone in the car, at least for the start of the program. The vehicles will have a safety operator behind the wheel, but they're not driving. They are there to answer questions, assist wheelchair users, and take control if needed. The driving is done by a computer in the passenger seat that continually runs real-time simulations, imagining thousands of possible scenarios at any given moment. "The computer is running a tournament to decide which of these is the best strategy for the situation that we're in," said Olson. The cars are also monitored by a remote operator in another location, who can make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled in and can also make judgment calls about safety decisions on the road. May Mobility has shuttle programs running in Minnesota, Texas, and Arizona. In Detroit, the pilot will target seniors and those with disabilities. But will they trust self-driving cars enough to use them? Those at St. Patrick Senior Center in Detroit are split. "I don't think I would use it. It's just a little too scary; people drive too crazy nowadays," said Deborah Youngblood. "I wouldn't want to be in a self-driving machine, and it breaks down," said Skeeter Gatling. However, autonomous vehicles bring autonomy to passengers. "That's the biggest thing, being a senior. The older I get, I'm really afraid that I don't want to have to depend on anybody. I want to keep my independence," said Joanne Thompson. "I understand there's a lot of kinks in it now, but hey, I am patient." To help build trust, the shuttles are being tested at the University of Michigan's Mcity. "It's just like a miniature city," said Henry Liu, the Director of MCity, a test track with all the attributes of an urban environment. They test how automated cars respond to pedestrians, bicyclists, and construction. There are also more challenging scenarios like scratched or partial road signs and tunnels where GPS signals are lost. Mcity is also a mixed-reality environment where simulated vehicles can interact with the vehicle being tested. To make the simulations as realistic as possible, they've collected data from the real world. Like one roundabout in Ann Arbor, where in one month, they collected data from five real accidents there and around 500 near-miss accidents. "We want to be able to replicate similar near misses or crashes in the simulation," said Liu. The shuttles are currently undergoing a two-part test developed by Mcity called the Mcity Safety Assessment Program. The protocol includes: A "Driver's License Test" that serves a purpose similar to a human driver's test, measuring basic competency in ordinary scenarios. A "Driving Intelligence Test" that challenges AV software with a diverse set of dangerous driving scenarios—representing those that most often result in crashes, injuries, and fatalities. "They still have room to improve. Human drivers are, on average, hard to beat," Liu said. He said with time and the help of artificial intelligence, the underlying challenges will be resolved. Mcity says their testing of the shuttle will likely run through February. After that, it will be sent to the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti for extended high-speed testing. May Mobility said they plan to deploy the shuttles in June of this year.

(CBS DETROIT) - As holiday travel picks up, airport staff will be working overtime to protect us from threats. And that doesn't just include the X-rays and metal detectors. Some of our country's biggest threats can be the pests and diseases brought through luggage and cargo. Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Detroit Metro Airport found an invasive Egyptian locust in a container coming from Italy. Bugs like that have the power to hurt the country's agriculture and cost consumers even more at the grocery store. CBS News Detroit's Kelly Vaughen got a look behind the scenes in the basement of the airport at the agricultural lab, where so much unseen work is happening to protect our food supply. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated items passengers bring that belong to protected species, like monkey skulls and ivory tusks. They've also taken nests made from bird saliva and blood used in soup as a delicacy. Some nests cost around $2,000 but could also spread avian flu. CBP has even taken a cryogenics container full of $150,000 worth of horse semen, which a passenger was trying to pass off as breast milk. "We know better because we've seen this stuff before," said Jose Feliciano, Chief of Agriculture Operations for Customs and Border Protection at DTW. Felician and his team inspect hundreds of bags every day, looking for illegal or toxic substances and for invasive species that could threaten our agriculture and natural resources, like drywall-eating giant African snails. But some of the biggest threats are the tiniest. CBP recently found one of the most destructive bugs in the world in a bag of rice coming through the airport, a khapra beetle. "It'll be catastrophic," said Feliciano. The khapra beetle is the size of a pinhead and can do billions of dollars of damage to our stored grain and seed supply. "And that translates into higher costs for imports and exports, cost to the consumer, cost of eradication, and sometimes higher taxes," said Feliciano. Customs and border protection also inspects prohibited fruits, vegetables, and even raw meat passengers bring that pose disease risks. While some try to sneak these banned items through, Feliciano said many are brought unintentionally, and passengers simply want a taste of home. "When we take this stuff, we are very cognizant of the impact this can cause the person. We are taking something that is a gift, that is a piece of home," he said. Feliciano said there is so much at stake. When you go to the store and shop without worry, that's because of the work done here by agricultural specialists.

(CBS DETROIT) - Beyoncé's new song "Texas Hold 'Em" is finding its place on country radio. This as she becomes the first Black female artist to have a Billboard No. 1 country song. "Anytime a new song comes out, I don't care who the artist is. Not every station jumps on it immediately. Some are more conservative and just want to see what happens," said Tim Roberts, the vice president of programming for WYCD, Detroit's country music station. Roberts said they've been playing the song since Beyonce released it just over a week ago. "It got off to a huge start on the sales side and went to number one on Billboard, which is amazing. But it shows the popularity of Beyonce just as an artist and universally worldwide. The question is are they country consumers, are they pop consumers, and time will tell." Beyonce has made history as the first Black female artist to have a Billboard No. 1 country song. "I think it's the boost country music needs," said Heath Craig, the owner of Solo Records. Craig said it's clear that Beyonce is exposing more people to country music as a whole. "People who are straightforward pop or R&B fans are now buying Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins records." Roberts said artists of all genres like making country music because it's lyric-based and stripped down. He said you can't fake country music. "They want to be seen as real musicians. I think it's an interesting format to dabble into. I mean, we've had artists like the Rolling Stones that cut a country record years ago, and Steven Tyler tried it. So, there's a lot of people who are just putting their toe in the water and are just checking it out because it's interesting to them as creative forces. And we embrace that, we love it."