For the first time, researchers have determined how a human olfactory receptor captures an airborne scent molecule, the pivotal chemical event that triggers our sense of smell. Whether it evokes roses ...

Specific smells that are encountered during early postnatal development can become hardwired in the mammalian brain if their neural connections to the olfactory bulb ...

An illustration of the olfactory bulb and epithelium. Top right: A pericyte (light orange) wraps around a blood vessel (red). Bottom right: Olfactory sensory neurons (light red, orange) surrounded by ...

Olfactory receptors (ORs) are key to how animals perceive their surroundings, guiding behaviors like foraging, mating, and avoiding danger. In chordates, the genes encoding these receptors are ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Márquez is a marine scientist and science communicator Understanding the intricate mechanisms of shark olfaction not only deepens ...

It’s clear that genes, receptors and neurons all play a role in detecting odors. But much of how we make sense of what we sniff remains mysterious. A neuroscientist explains. By Daniela Hirschfeld / ...