Latest

olfaction

This is a stylized diagram of the hippocampus.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 23, 2014·3 min read

Researchers Pinpoint Brain Region Essential for Social Memory

CA2, a small region of the hippocampus, is essential for social learning, a new study reports.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 2, 2014·5 min read

Odor Receptors Discovered in Lungs

Researchers discover odor receptors in the lungs.

The image shows a woman smelling a flower.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 13, 2013·3 min read

No Two People Smell the Same

Researchers explore the triggers for specific odor receptors and find no two people smell things the same way.

This image shows the head and olfactory nerve.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 9, 2013·4 min read

Extensive Variability in Olfactory Receptors Influences Human Odor Perception

Researchers discover as much as 30% of the larger array of human olfactory receptors differ between individuals.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 21, 2013·3 min read

Neuron ‘Claws’ in the Brain Enable Flies to Distinguish One Scent from Another

Using fruit flies, researchers discover how the brain integrates multiple signals to identify unique smells.

This image shows the lead researcher, Jennifer Stamps

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Videos

·October 9, 2013·3 min read

‘Peanut Butter’ Test Can Help Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers use peanut butter as a new tool to diagnose early stage Alzheimer's disease.

The image shows the neurons in the fruit fly. The caption best describes the image.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 7, 2013·3 min read

How Neurons Enable Us to Know Smells We Like and Dislike, Whether to Approach or Retreat

Researchers reveal neurons in the brains of fruit flies which specifically respond to food odors.The findings could help scientists better understand why obese people choose to eat certain foods.

This is a diagram of the human olfactory system

Featured Neuroscience

·September 24, 2013·3 min read

A Shot of Anxiety and the World Stinks

A new neuroimaging study reveals how anxiety or stress can link areas of the brain for emotion and olfactory processing, making neutral odors smell malodorous.

The images above depict the activity of the mushroom body Kenyon cells in the fruit fly brain in response to 3 different odors.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 18, 2013·4 min read

The Discerning Fruit Fly: Linking Brain-Cell Activity and Behavior in Smell Recognition

Researchers have mapped the activity of brain cells in the mushroom body of flies conditioned to have Pavlovian behavioral responses to different odors. The findings suggest the activity of as few as 25 neurons are required to be able to distinguish between different odors.

Featured Genetics

·May 29, 2013·3 min read

Genetic Engineering Alters Mosquitoes’ Sense of Smell

In one of the first successful attempts at genetically engineering mosquitoes, HHMI researchers have altered the way the insects respond to odors, including the smell of humans and the insect repellant DEET.

Featured

·October 4, 2012·4 min read

Babies Learn the Smell of Mum

Newborn mice use mom's unique odor, not a pheromone, to begin breastfeeding.

Featured Psychology

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

‘Psychopaths’ Have An Impaired Sense of Smell

People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain (orbitofrontal cortex) according to a new study.