olfaction

People with more carboxylic acids in their body odor are more attractive to mosquitoes, a study finds.

Neurons in mosquito antennae can express more than one olfactory receptor at a time, a redundancy that likely ensures they don’t lose a potential host’s scent.

Pairs of same-sex friends who reported strong connections when they first met had similar body odors, and body odor similarity predicted whether two strangers would hit it off.

A study that examined the brains of people before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection found a decrease in brain volume and damage to olfactory areas compared with controls.

Once considered anosmic, birds are now widely recognized as using olfactory cues to aid in a wide range of behaviors.

The temporary loss of olfaction stops the flies from eating any more of whatever it is that made them sick.

Two studies this month point to pooches’ quick detection of SARS-CoV-2 on material that touched the skin of infected participants, although the pups’ accuracy does not match that of RT-PCR.

Good girl, Florin!

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers used dogs’ diagnoses of prostate cancer to inform a machine learning algorithm with the goal of one day detecting cancers with canine-level accuracy.

Some viruses, possibly even SARS-CoV-2, can sneak into the brain through the nose. Recent studies show that microglia are ready for them when they do.

Using optogenetics, scientists have simulated the sense of smell directly within the mouse brain to investigate the nature of olfactory perception.

Most small amphibious mammals have a diminished sense of smell, a quality that likely arose because of a tradeoff with thermoregulation capacities that allowed them to conserve heat in aquatic environments.

A study identifies five women who have a functioning sense of smell despite an apparent lack of olfactory bulbs—the region of the brain that processes odors.

Carbon dioxide pumped into a bright chamber mimics a breathing host for the pest to target.

The introduced cells engrafted in the nose, became olfactory sensory neurons, and sent axons to the animals’ brains.

Authors of a small study say the two abilities likely evolved in tandem.

Researchers envision a cochlear implant–like device for the nose to give people with impaired olfaction a sense of smell.

Distributed neuronal networks help the brain sort smells.