Scientists investigate how DEET confuses countless critters
DEET, thought to be the most effective insect repellent available, may not be an insect repellent at all.
Biotechnology
Sep 26, 2018
6
157
News tagged with odor receptors
Structure of ion channel reveals how insects smell their way around the world
The mosquito, sworn enemy of exposed ankles and elbows, locates each bloody meal using a finely tuned sense of smell. Yet, not all insects can sniff out vulnerable flesh. Butterflies, for example, feed not on necks but on ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 15, 2018
0
92
Genomic study ties insect evolution to the ability to detect airborne odors
A new study reveals that all insects use specialized odorant receptors that enable them to detect and pursue mates, identify enemies, find food and—unfortunately for humans—spread disease. This puts to rest a recent hypothesis ...
Evolution
Aug 2, 2018
0
89
Biologists decipher a key piece of the odor-detection puzzle in flies, mosquitoes
Biologists at the University of California, Riverside have discovered surprisingly that the complex odor-detecting machinery of the fruit fly Drosophila is heavily influenced by one specific odor receptor. This same receptor ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 8, 2018
0
17
Mammal brains identify type of scent faster than once thought
It takes less than one-tenth of a second—a fraction of the time previously thought—for the sense of smell to distinguish between one odor and another, new experiments in mice show.
Plants & Animals
Nov 14, 2017
0
93
Researchers have identified olfactory receptors that enable ants to smell and recognize workers, males, and their queen
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 sisters, rendering the ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 17, 2017
9
82
A moth and its flame: Mate selection found to evolve from response to flower odors
For moths, love is literally in the air through the action of pheromones to attract mates.
Plants & Animals
Aug 15, 2017
0
1
Researchers use CRISPR to manipulate social behavior in ants
The gene-editing technology called CRISPR has revolutionized the way that the function of genes is studied. So far, CRISPR has been widely used to precisely modify single-celled organisms and, more importantly, specific types ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 10, 2017
5
359
Decoding ants' coat of many odors
It's a waxy layer that covers their bodies and is the source of the complex aromas that ants use to communicate. These odorant blends act like biochemical uniforms, identifying individual ants by caste, colony and species. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 10, 2017
1
40
Super-sniffer mice could detect land mines and decode human olfactory system
Researchers at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, have created super-sniffer mice that have an increased ability to detect a specific odor, according to a study published July 7 in Cell Reports. The ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2016
0
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