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UrduA research team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center demonstrated, using a novel quantitative analysis, that the neuronal response to odors undergoes some modifications in the nose. Such early processing of olfactory signals is a result of interactions between olfactory receptor neurons and the neighboring trigeminal neurons.
Tag: Olfaction
How the cat nose knows what it’s smelling
Scientists have found the secret to felines’ finesse at sniffing out food, friends and foes. A complex collection of tightly coiled bony airway structures gets the credit, according to the first detailed analysis of the domestic cat’s nasal airway.
Study Explores Link Between Shark Nose Shape, Size and Sensitivity of Smell
Differences in sharks’ olfactory systems are of interest not only because of their known incredible sense of smell but also because they have been around since before the dinosaurs. They managed to thrive in every known marine habitat for millions of years – their sense of smell may have been key. A study is the first to quantify olfactory organ morphology by examining rosette shape and other internal structures among a diverse set of shark species using dissections, phylogenetic comparisons, and a fairly new technique, called diffusible iodine‐based contrast‐enhanced computed tomography imaging. Results reveal that the organs did not change in shape or number of lamellae throughout the life stages, suggesting that olfaction is a key sensory modality throughout the life of elasmobranch fishes.
An alarming prevalence of smell, taste loss during COVID’s delta surge
The loss of smell and taste with a COVID-19 infection during the delta surge was a prevalent symptom and wasn’t prevented by vaccination, new research suggests. The study also found some people with the earliest COVID infections had loss of these senses months later and didn’t even realize it.
Boo! How Do Mexican Cavefish Escape Predators?
When startled, do all fish respond the same way? A few fish, like Mexican cavefish, have evolved in unique environments without any predators. To see how this lack of predation impacts escape responses that are highly stereotyped across fish species, scientists explored this tiny fish to determine if there are evolved differences in them. Findings reveal that the dramatic ecological differences between cave and river environments contribute to differences in escape behavior in blind cavefish and river-dwelling surface cavefish.
Repeated Pregnancy Loss May Be Tied to the Olfactory System, Weizmann Institute Scientists Find
Pregnant mice typically miscarry when exposed to the odor of a male who did not father their pups. Weizmann research provides evidence that the same effect occurs in women with unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL), who apparently process messages about male body odor differently. This could help identify causes and prevention of uRPL.
Sniffing Out Smell
Neuroscientists reveal for the first time how relationships between different odors are encoded in the brain. Findings may explain why individuals have common but highly personalized experiences with smell, and inform efforts to understand how odor chemistry is translated into perception.
Scientists Decode How the Brain Senses Smell
Scientists have further decoded how mammalian brains perceive odors and distinguish one smell from thousands of others.
Weizmann Institute Scientists Develop “Sniff Test” That Predicts Recovery of Consciousness in Brain-Injured Patients
In another example of the power of the sense of smell, Prof. Noam Sobel, Dr. Anat Arzi, and colleagues have developed a “sniff test” that can help diagnose degree of brain injury in patients in a vegetative state. The test also predicted – with 100% accuracy – which patients were most likely to regain consciousness.
Insects’ Ability to Smell is Phenomenally Diverse, a New Protein Structure Hints at How
Mosquitoes find us by our odor molecules binding to odor receptors on their antennae, bees are drawn to flowers the same way, whereas ticks detect an approaching host using receptors on their forelegs.