Olfaction News and Research

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New tool could help researchers understand the neural basis of olfaction

Harvard University neurobiologists have created mice that can "smell" light, providing a potent new tool that could help researchers better understand the neural basis of olfaction.

18 Oct 2010

New research identifies stem cells that generate three critical classes of nerve cells

New research, published in the journal Development, by Dr. Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, professor of Pharmacology & Physiology and director of the newly formed GW Institute for Neuroscience, and his colleagues have identified the stem cells that generate three critical classes of nerve cells - olfactory receptors, vomeronasal and gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons - that are responsible for enabling animals and humans, to eat, interact socially and reproduce.

22 Jul 2010

Exposure to dust after WTC collapse impairs ability to detect odors and sense irritants

Individuals involved in rescue, recovery, demolition, and clean-up after the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on September 11, 2001, were exposed to a complex mixture of airborne smoke, dust, combustion gases, acid mists, and metal fumes. The impact of this exposure on responders' upper and lower respiratory function has been well documented, but little is known about its impact on their sensitivity to odor and irritants.

19 Apr 2010

700 scientists to present new information on smell and taste at AChemS 32nd annual meeting

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), a US-based scientific organization, is holding its 32nd annual meeting. About 700 scientists are gathering to present new information on the role of smell and taste in disease, nutrition and social interactions in humans as well as animals. Smell and taste play essential roles in our daily lives. These chemical senses serve as important warning systems, alerting us to the presence of potentially harmful situations or substances, including gas leaks, smoke, and spoiled food.

17 Apr 2010

Head trauma can cause loss of smell and taste sensations

The ability to taste and smell can be lost or impaired after a head injury, according to a new study by scientists from the Universit- de Montr-al, the Lucie Bruneau Rehabilitation Centre, as well as the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal. Published in the journal Brain Injury, the investigation established that mild to severe traumatic brain injury could cause olfactory loss.

25 Mar 2010

Newborn brain cells improve our ability to navigate our environment

Although the fact that we generate new brain cells throughout life is no longer disputed, their purpose has been the topic of much debate. Now, an international collaboration of researchers made a big leap forward in understanding what all these newborn neurons might actually do. Their study, published in the July 10, 2009, issue of the journal Science, illustrates how these young cells improve our ability to navigate our environment.

9 Jul 2009

Human sweat contains emotional meanings

When threatened, many animals release chemicals as a warning signal to members of their own species, who in turn react to the signals and take action.

8 Mar 2009

Cargill awarded patent for technology in taste tissue imaging

Cargill has received a patent for a breakthrough technology in taste tissue imaging and taste modification that is superior to the cell screening technology currently available in the flavor, food and beverage industries.

23 Jul 2008

Nose stem cells used to treat Parkinson's

Scientists in Queensland, Australia have made a major breakthrough in research into Parkinson's disease.

9 Jun 2008

DNA sensors found to be an effective artificial nose

In designing artificial noses modeled after biological olfaction, the challenge has been to generate a similarly large sensor repertoire with the requisite combinatorial complexity to detect odors in the real world.

24 Jan 2008

Researchers finds meth receptor that could lead to therapy

A recently discovered signaling system in the brain has just been shown to be turned on by methamphetamine, an Oregon Health & Science University study found.

19 Apr 2007

Speed accuracy tradeoff in olfaction

Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center have found that taking as little as a hundred milliseconds longer to smell an odor results in more accurate identification of that odor.

2 Aug 2006

Discovery of new cell type in the part of the brain that processes our sense of smell

Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a new cell type in the part of the brain that processes our sense of smell.

19 Mar 2006

A map of recent positive selection in the human genome

By scanning the entire human genome in search of genetic variations that may signal recent evolution, University of Chicago researchers found more than 700 genetic variants that may be targets of recent natural positive selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution.

13 Mar 2006

A map of recent positive selection in the human genome

9 Mar 2006

Olfactory epithelium plays a critical role in pheromone detection

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered that pheromones essential for mating behavior in mice are recognized by the nose and not by the vomeronasal system, as researchers had long suspected.

14 Nov 2005

First clear evidence that olfaction is uniquely a "dual" sense

In the August 18, 2005, issue of Neuron, researchers report that the smell of chocolate activated different brain regions according to whether the odor was introduced into the olfactory system through the mouth or through the nose.

17 Aug 2005

Scents and emotions linked by learning

Whether emotional responses to scent are a product of nature or nurture is a matter of scientific debate. But a Brown University study, published in the current issue of the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, comes down on the nurturing side.

6 Jan 2005

Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have used a combination of brainpower and computer power to identify a multitude of new genes that control the formation of tiny, hair-like cilia that stipple the surfaces of many organs in a wide variety of creatures.

14 May 2004