cases

"We often tailor the effort we put into conversations to match the significance of the relationship. In some cases, it makes sense to invest less effort and accept being perceived as less sincere, like quickly texting with a delivery driver," Fang said.

To date, 45 human cases have been reported.

It may also help dermatologists quickly catch cases of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer that kills more than 8,000 Americans a year.

This is important, the research team says, because most cases of melanoma are initially spotted by patients or their friends and family.

Notably, both the dermatologists who examined the participants in-person and those who instead relied on clinical photos and dermoscopy alone detected 11 out of the 13 cases of skin cancer, including two melanomas.