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

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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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Kirsty Wright is searching for evidence in a missing persons investigation. She is wearing a blue shirt and glasses. Behind her is dense vegetation and police procedural tape.

How a Forensic Biologist Exposed a DNA Lab Scandal That Shook Australia

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Universe 25 Experiment

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One Gene Influences 75 Percent of Alzheimer’s Disease Cases

A picture of Rohita Roy, a postdoc at Stanford University.

Postdoc Portrait: Rohita Roy

Multimedia

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From Data to Discovery: Omics in Therapeutic Innovation

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Exploring Organoids for Disease Modeling Research

February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

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Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

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Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

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Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

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