How mammals' brains evolved to distinguish odors is nothing to sniff at
The world is filled with millions upon millions of distinct smells, but how mammals' brains evolved to tell them apart is something of a mystery.
The world is filled with millions upon millions of distinct smells, but how mammals' brains evolved to tell them apart is something of a mystery.
Evolution
Jul 18, 2019
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Carolyn "Lindy" McBride is studying a question that haunts every summer gathering: How and why are mosquitoes attracted to humans?
Evolution
Jul 2, 2019
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As animals explore their environment, they learn to master it. By discovering what sounds tend to precede predatorial attack, for example, or what smells predict dinner, they develop a kind of biological clairvoyance—a ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 26, 2019
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Whether at Oktoberfest, the movie theater or a shopping mall, the enticing aroma of soft pretzels is unmistakable. Now, researchers have identified the key compounds that give these twisted knots their distinctive scent. ...
Other
Jun 26, 2019
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Adding vanilla to sweetened milk makes consumers think the beverage is sweeter, allowing the amount of added sugar to be reduced, according to Penn State researchers, who will use the concept to develop a reduced-sugar chocolate ...
Other
Jun 20, 2019
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A research group led by a scientist of the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) has gained important insights into the nanopores that allow the fruit fly to detect chemicals in the air, and has identified the ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 18, 2019
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Female mosquitoes are known to rely on an array of sensory information to find people to bite, picking up on carbon dioxide, body odor, heat, moisture, and visual cues. Now researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 28, 2019
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In nature, vinegar flies are exposed to a wide variety of odor mixtures, which contain both attractive and repellent odors. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have now discovered that repellent odors ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2019
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Brazilian scientists have discovered that the strong odor released by some amphibian species is produced by bacteria and that attracting a mate is one of its purposes.
Plants & Animals
Mar 15, 2019
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Plants don't need noses to smell. The ability is in their genes. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have discovered the first steps of how information from odor molecules changes gene expression in plants. Manipulating ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 23, 2019
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