Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny roundworm, spends much of its lifetime searching for soil bacteria to eat. This humble creature possesses 302 neurons, which may not seem like a lot compared to the billions of nerve cells that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 15, 2015
0
522
A study published in the latest issue of Nature Neuroscience describes work led by the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Faculties of Medicine and Sciences, on the indisputable role of the olfactory bulb in mammal brains' ability ...
Other
Sep 1, 2015
1
20
Ants, which are eusocial insects, have intrigued scientists for long as a model for cooperation inside a colony where they nurse the young, gather food and defend against intruders. Most recently, ants have been shown to ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 13, 2015
2
36
From slight sparrows to preening peacocks to soaring falcons, birds have long been known to possess distinct abilities in their sense of smell, but little has been known about the evolution of olfaction.
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2015
1
12
The science about our our special senses - vision, smell, hearing and taste - offers fascinating and unique perspectives on our evolution.
Evolution
Jul 13, 2015
13
91
Humans can discriminate tens of thousands of odors. While we may take our sense of smell for granted, it adds immeasurably to our quality of life: the aroma of freshly brewed coffee; the invigorating smell of an ocean breeze ...
Other
Jun 5, 2015
6
81
If a banana is rotting in the fruit basket of your kitchen, chances are that a fruit fly will find it long before you do. How is the nervous system of a tiny fly capable of ascending the odour trail created by a banana? This ...
Biotechnology
Jun 3, 2015
1
19
The common vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is a very well-studied animal. For decades, the fly has been used as a model organism in genetic research; its genome was fully sequenced in 2000. However, until now researchers ...
Plants & Animals
May 20, 2015
0
23
The vibrational theory of olfaction explains several aspects of odorant detection that theories based purely on receptor binding do not. It provides for additional selectivity through receptors that are tuned to specific ...
In 2014, more spotted-wing Drosophila suzukii than ever before were observed in Germany. This pest lays its eggs in fresh and ripening fruits before they are harvested. Infested fruits are often additionally infected with ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2015
0
11
