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A child cups a lemon hanging from a tree to his face, closing his eyes and smelling intensely. As an adult, the smell of a lemon may bring back specific memories from his childhood—the ability of smell (and taste) to suddenly trigger vivid, emotional memories is called the “Proust effect” after the French novelist Marcel Proust.
| 3 min read
Smells and tastes can trigger vivid emotional memories from decades past. Scientists are digging into the neurological mechanisms behind the anecdotes.

senses

spider on a web

Spider Uses Its Web Like a Giant Engineered Ear

The Scientist Speaks Podcast - Episode 12

Researchers Make Mice Smell Odors that Aren’t Really There

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Stem Cells Delivered to the Nose Restore Mice’s Ability to Smell

Just the Sight of Food Gets the Liver Ready for Action

Researchers Identify Gene Variants Linked to Synesthesia

Fruit Flies Feel Humidity with Dedicated Receptors

pH Detectors in Lamprey Spinal Cords Control Cell and Locomotor Activity

ESP on Trial

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Illustration of human brain and electroencephalography, signifying brain-computer interfaces.

Brain-Computer Interface Advances Help Reconnect the Mind and Body

Photo of John Calhoun crouches within his rodent utopia-turned-dystopia

Universe 25 Experiment

A woman in her 60s wears a yellow tank top and brown-rimmed glasses while placing a hormone-replacement patch on her upper arm.

Flawed Studies Linked Menopausal Hormone Therapy to Breast Cancer

A hand holding $100 bills reaches out of a green-colored laptop screen, indicating a bribe.

Publisher Investigates an Alleged Peer Review Extortion Attempt

Multimedia

A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

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Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems
August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

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Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems
Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Covaris
Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Miltenyi
Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

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A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

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