Latest Olfaction Stories

Why recognizing sex pheromone components of the silkworm moth at the scale of atoms and molecules impacts on eco-friendly agricultureNew research announced today, Wednesday 30th September, by a team of leading scientists working with the UK's national Synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, could have a significant impact on the development and refinement of new eco-friendly pest control methods for worldwide agriculture.Published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, the study was carried out by...

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded research, published this week in Chemical Communication, describes how scientists have discovered molecules that could confuse insects' ability to detect plants by interfering with their sense of smell. This could reduce damage to crops by insect pests and contribute to food security.Lead researcher Dr Antony Hooper of Rothamsted Research, an institute of BBSRC said: "One way in which insects find each other and their hosts...

Officials in Honolulu said a bill proposed to the City Council would make it illegal to ride public transportation while smelly. The bill, which is co-sponsored by Councilmen Rod Tam and Nestor Garcia, would make it illegal for passengers to bring onto transit property odors that unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system, whether such odors arise from one's person, clothes, articles, accompanying animal or any other source. Tam and Garcia said the bill...

A North Carolina State University researcher has devised a new technology that really does not stink. In fact, it could be the key to eliminating foul odors and air pollutants emitted by industrial chicken rendering facilities and "“ ultimately "“ large-scale swine feedlots.Dr. Praveen Kolar, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at NC State, has developed an inexpensive treatment process that significantly mitigates odors from poultry rendering operations....

A U.S. study finds when the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously, the brain processes them separately and alternately through each nostril. Rice University scientists say their finding marks the first demonstration of perceptual rivalry in the human olfactory system. Our discovery opens up new avenues to explore the workings of the olfactory system and olfactory awareness, said Assistant Professor Denise Chen, who co-authored the research paper with graduate student Wen Zhou....

When the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously, the brain processes them separately through each nostril in an alternating fashion.This finding by researchers at Rice University in Houston is the first demonstration of "perceptual rivalry" in the olfactory system. The study was published online today by the journal Current Biology and will appear in the Sept. 29 print edition."Our discovery opens up new avenues to explore the workings of the olfactory system and...

Your nostrils may seem to be a happy pair, working together to pick up scents. However, a study published online on August 20th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, reveals that there can actually be a kind of rivalry between the two."The two nostrils of a person typically have similar olfactory experience at any given time," said Denise Chen of Rice University. "But in a laboratory setting in which each nostril simultaneously receives a different smell, subjects...

In an advance toward the first portable device for detecting human bodies buried in disasters and at crime scenes, scientists today report early results from a project to establish the chemical fingerprint of death. Speaking here at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said a profile of the chemicals released from decomposing bodies could also lead to a valuable new addition to the forensic toolkit: An electronic device that could determine the time...

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine may reveal how long-lasting memories form in the brain.The researchers hope that the findings, now available online and scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of Neuroscience, may one day help scientists develop treatments to prevent and treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder."Although many things are known about memories that form from repeat experiences, not much is known with regard to how some...

Customers want fresh food, which is neither unripe nor spoilt. A new system based on metal oxide sensors could check the safety and quality of foods reliably, quickly and economically "“ such as how ripe that pineapple really is.When buying a pineapple, the customer often stands helplessly in front of the supermarket shelf "“ which one is already ripe? If the fruit is eaten immediately it's often still not sweet enough, if it's left too long it has rotten patches. Laboratory tests are...