smell

Why Gleevec Could Make Kids Hypersensitive To Smell

The gene Abl, a target of the anti-cancer drug Gleevec, is required for the correct development of the olfactory system.

Sniffing Out How Plants Detect And React To Odor

A research group in Japan has found that odors trigger changes in the gene expression of plants, with implications on agriculture and horticulture.

Fecal Attraction: Fruit Flies Poop To Lure Others

Scientists in Japan have discovered that fecal deposits carry the fruit fly’s pheromone flag, increasing the flies’ chances of mating.

A Nose For Noxious Substances

Using transgenic zebrafish, scientists in Japan have discovered a neural pathway that controls behavioral responses to carbon dioxide.

Sniffing Out Social Memories

Using molecular and behavioral observation techniques in mice, scientists in China have uncovered the basis of socially-dependent, odor-based learning and memory.

Sniffing Out The Cause Of Smell Loss

Can't smell? This test could help decide what kind of treatment you should receive.

Smell Is A Democracy, Not A Dictatorship

Odors activate neuronal structures called glomeruli in the brain; the fruit fly's smell preference depends on most, if not all, of them.

What’s That Smell? Musk Receptor Identified

A single olfactory receptor protein, OR5AN1, affects the perception of musk odor in both mice and humans.

Sniff ‘N’ Track Or Run ‘N’ Scan?

In familiar environments, the ‘run-and-scan’ strategy is a more efficient way of finding food, at least according to mathematical models.

The Scent Of Anxiety

The combination of two chemicals that are simultaneously sensed by different olfactory systems makes rats respond with anxiety.