One simple molecule regulates sexual behavior in Drosophila
The common vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is a very well-studied animal. For decades, the fly has been used as a model organism in genetic research; its genome was fully sequenced in 2000....
View ArticleCracking the function of the fly olfactory system to understand how neural...
If a banana is rotting in the fruit basket of your kitchen, chances are that a fruit fly will find it long before you do. How is the nervous system of a tiny fly capable of ascending the odour trail...
View ArticleA controversial theory of olfaction deemed implausible
Humans can discriminate tens of thousands of odors. While we may take our sense of smell for granted, it adds immeasurably to our quality of life: the aroma of freshly brewed coffee; the invigorating...
View ArticleMaking sense of our evolution
The science about our our special senses - vision, smell, hearing and taste - offers fascinating and unique perspectives on our evolution.
View ArticleStudy of birds' sense of smell reveals important clues for behavior and...
From slight sparrows to preening peacocks to soaring falcons, birds have long been known to possess distinct abilities in their sense of smell, but little has been known about the evolution of olfaction.
View ArticleHow do ants identify different members of their society?
Ants, which are eusocial insects, have intrigued scientists for long as a model for cooperation inside a colony where they nurse the young, gather food and defend against intruders. Most recently, ants...
View ArticleBetter learning through neural distinguishing
A study published in the latest issue of Nature Neuroscience describes work led by the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Faculties of Medicine and Sciences, on the indisputable role of the olfactory bulb...
View ArticleFor worms, positive thinking is the key to finding food
Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny roundworm, spends much of its lifetime searching for soil bacteria to eat. This humble creature possesses 302 neurons, which may not seem like a lot compared to the...
View ArticleSame switches program taste and smell in fruit flies
A new study sheds light on how fruit flies get their keen sense of smell.
View ArticleNew evidence for the vibration theory of smell
(Phys.org)—The predictive power and galvanizing influence that theoretical models routinely enjoy in physics is only rarely replicated in biology. Lord Raleigh's theory of sound perception, Francis...
View ArticleMechanism discovered for mosaic pattern of cells in the nasal cavity
Every cell in our bodies has its proper place, but how do they get there? A research group led by Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Ph.D. student KATSUNUMA Sayaka and Assistant Professor...
View ArticleStudy yields insight into the mystery of smell
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have uncovered the mechanism underlying a phenomenon in how we smell that has puzzled researchers for decades. In an article appearing...
View ArticleOlfactory receptor discovered in pigment cells of the skin
Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum were the first ones to prove the existence of an olfactory receptor in pigment-producing cells in human skin, the so-called melanocytes. The team headed by Prof...
View ArticleUsing the 'deuterium switch' to understand how receptors work
(Phys.org)—The market value for deuterated drugs has recently been estimated at over a billion dollars. Such drugs are simply molecules in which one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced with deuterium....
View ArticleThe basic units of the olfactory system in the fly brain provide references...
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have now quantified and mapped the functional units of the olfactory center in the brains of vinegar flies responsible for...
View ArticleUnderstanding sulfur's rotten smell
Though odorless in its normal state, utility companies add sulfur-containing odorants - called mercaptans or thiols - to the gas so it's easy to detect a leak. The foul smell is reminiscent of rotting...
View Article3-D imaging technique maps migration of DNA-carrying material at the center...
Scientists have mapped the reorganization of genetic material that takes place when a stem cell matures into a nerve cell. Detailed 3-D visualizations show an unexpected connectivity in the genetic...
View ArticleMice can smell oxygen
The genome of mice harbours more than 1000 odorant receptor genes, which enable them to smell myriad odours in their surroundings. Researchers at the Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics in...
View Article"Ladies choice" reigns in the greater sac-winged bat
Females of the greater sac-winged bat select their mating partner by smell and unerringly choose a male which differs from them the most in genetic terms. Females with more variants of olfactory...
View ArticleThe apple maggot fly—how an altered sense of smell could drive the formation...
"Two months ago, we were congratulating ourselves on a fair crop of winterapples. To all appearance, they were freer from worms than we had known them in this section for years. But, alas! our hopes...
View ArticleA simple sniff: Nanoparticle research tested in locusts focuses on new...
Delivering life-saving drugs directly to the brain in a safe and effective way is a challenge for medical providers. One key reason: the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from...
View ArticleGenetics and environment combine to give everyone a unique sense of smell
Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have shown that receptors in the noses of mice exposed to certain smells during life are different to genetically similar...
View ArticleThis nasal receptor mediates the appetizing smell of fish food
The aquatic environment is full of tantalizing chemicals that can guide a fish to mates or meals. Now, scientists in Japan have identified the olfactory receptor and brain circuitry that picks up the...
View ArticleUsing single-cell RNA sequencing and clever statistical analysis to track...
Adult stem cells have the ability to transform into many types of cells, but tracing the path individual stem cells follow as they mature and identifying the molecules that trigger these fateful...
View ArticleIt's a myth that humans' sense of smell is inferior to that of other animals...
Conventional wisdom has it that humans have a poorer sense of smell than most other animals. Sure, we can smell – most of us appreciate the aroma of our morning coffee or a delightful fragrance, and...
View ArticleWhy a crackly crust is essential to a baguette's aroma and taste
An authentic French baguette is one of those key staples that foodies hunt for. Now scientists have gained new insight into why a crisp crust is a must for this quintessential bread. They report their...
View ArticleViral vectors travel longer distances than previously thought
Gene transfer is seen as a hopeful therapy for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients. The approach involves using harmless laboratory-produced viruses to introduce important genes into the brain cells....
View ArticleResearchers demonstrate how some genes evolved from an immune function to an...
Mammals possess several lines of defense against microbes. One of them is activated when receptors called Fprs, which are present on immune cells, bind to specific molecules that are linked to...
View ArticleResearchers have identified olfactory receptors that enable ants to smell and...
Queen ants spend most of their time having babies. To reign supreme in a colony, they exude a special scent, or pheromone, on the waxy surface of their body that suppresses ovary development in their...
View ArticleResearchers look to the fruit fly to understand the human brain
The human nervous system is like a complex circuit board. When wires cross or circuits malfunction, conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder can arise.
View Article
