The human nose has the extraordinary ability to detect nearly 1 trillion scents. Olfaction is an extremely complex process and this process of detection involves the working of neurons in the brain ...

Smell, rather than sight, reigns as the supreme sense for most animals. It allows them to find food, avoid danger, and attract mates; it dominates their perceptions and guides their behavior; it ...

Humans sense odors when some of their nearly 400 odorant receptors, or ORs, are activated in the nose. Each OR is activated by a unique set of chemicals; together, the large OR family can detect a ...

Closely related dopamine-releasing neurons in the olfactory bulb behave in fundamentally different ways depending on their physical structure.

Researchers have finally seen how some smell receptors bind to odor molecules. The work yields new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses. Smell, rather than sight, reigns as ...