smell
Mice that ‘smell’ light could help us better understand olfaction
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — 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.
The work, described this week in the journal …
Sensitivity to alcohol odors may indicate a genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence
Prior research had found an association between DNA sequence variations in a gene that encodes parts of the brain’s gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence.
New research has found that the GABRA2 g…
Metal ions may play a big role in how we sense smells
Of the five basic senses, the sense of smell is the least understood. Now, scientists have sniffed out potential clues to how olfactory receptors in the nose detect odors. Those clues may also explain why dietary zinc deficiencies lead to a loss of smell.
Florida researchers try to put scent back into flowers
If you are among the millions who receive flowers on Valentine’s Day, you likely will put your nose to a rose, only to find you can’t catch a whiff of your favorite floral aroma. And it isn’t because your sense of smell has diminished. Plant breeding has led to bigger, longer-lasting blooms, but in the process many flowers have lost their scents – a trend University of Florida researchers hope to reverse. The researchers are investigating ways to put scent back in, either through genetic engineering or by developing chemical formulations that might be used through a spray application.