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olfaction

·July 27, 2026·8 min read

Vagus Nerve Gut Signals Drive Spatial Memory

A new study reveals that the vagus nerve transmits gut nutrient signals to the hippocampus, boosting acetylcholine release and spatial memory.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 22, 2026·11 min read

Fruit Flies Use Memory to Track Smells

A new study reveals that fruit flies use spatial memory, rather than simple reflexes, to track odors.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 3, 2026·12 min read

Humans and Mice Share Identical Brain Wiring for Smell

Humans and rodents share identical neurophysiological mechanisms for smell processing.

This shows a depressed man with his hands to his nose.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 21, 2026·10 min read

Losing Smell Triggers Severe Clinical Depression

Smell and taste disorders cause psychological, emotional, and social suffering that rivals severe chronic illnesses like stroke, diabetes, and Parkinson's.

This shows a brain scan of the olfactory system in mice.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 28, 2026·9 min read

Research Finally Decodes the Brain’s Smell Map

A new study unveils a highly organized "smell map" in the nose, driven by retinoic acid gradients and essential for treating anosmia.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 16, 2026·7 min read

Hunter-Gatherer Genes Reveal the Hidden Power of Human Smell

A new genetic study of Malaysian Indigenous populations shows that hunter-gatherers have preserved "super-smell" genes to navigate rainforests, while agriculturalists' smell genes have adapted to manage high-carb diets.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 14, 2026·8 min read

50-Millisecond Brain Filter That Decodes Odors

The brain identifies smells in just 50 milliseconds. The olfactory bulb uses "temporal filtering" to lock onto the first scent detected and block out background noise.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 10, 2026·9 min read

Neuromodulators Organize Sequential Brain Activity Patterns

Researchers mapped the entire nervous system of a worm to show how it plans turns to find smells. The study reveals a 10-neuron sequence coordinated by the chemical tyramine.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 16, 2025·6 min read

Two Dopamine Neuron Subtypes Process Smell in Different Ways

Closely related dopamine-releasing neurons in the olfactory bulb behave in fundamentally different ways depending on their physical structure. One subtype releases neurotransmitters from dendrites instead of axons—an unusual mechanism that allows the cells to act locally and even self-inhibit.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 1, 2025·5 min read

Smelling Fatty Foods in Pregnancy May Raise Obesity Risk in Children

New research shows that exposure to the smell of fatty foods during pregnancy and early life can reprogram the developing brain and increase the risk of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood. Even when mothers consumed a healthy low-fat diet, the presence of fatty food odors altered how offspring responded to high-fat foods later.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 17, 2025·4 min read

Brain Splits Smell Into “What It Is” and “How It Feels”

New research shows that the brain separates “what an odor is” from “how it feels,” with each processed at distinct times. Shortly after an odor is presented, the brain activates a fast, objective signal that tracks molecular features and supports accurate odor discrimination.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·October 27, 2025·9 min read

Hungry Brains Rewrite the Senses

When fruit flies lack essential amino acids, their brains rewire their sense of smell to help them find food rich in the nutrients they need. Researchers discovered that two genes—Or92a and Ir76a—boost the flies’ sensitivity to smells linked with fermented foods and bacteria that produce beneficial amino acids.

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olfaction

Vagus Nerve Gut Signals Drive Spatial Memory

Fruit Flies Use Memory to Track Smells

Humans and Mice Share Identical Brain Wiring for Smell

Losing Smell Triggers Severe Clinical Depression

Research Finally Decodes the Brain’s Smell Map

Hunter-Gatherer Genes Reveal the Hidden Power of Human Smell

50-Millisecond Brain Filter That Decodes Odors

Neuromodulators Organize Sequential Brain Activity Patterns

Two Dopamine Neuron Subtypes Process Smell in Different Ways

Smelling Fatty Foods in Pregnancy May Raise Obesity Risk in Children

Brain Splits Smell Into “What It Is” and “How It Feels”

Hungry Brains Rewrite the Senses

Shame, Stigma, and Culture Prevent Male Domestic Violence Survivors From Seeking Help

Study of Brain Immune Cells Reveals New Clues to Alzheimer’s Disease Progression

Regenerative Astrocytes Repair Brain Damage

Eye Tracking Reveals Where Human Reading and AI Processing Diverge

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