Fruit Flies Learn and Remember Better When Lacking One Receptor Dec 22, 2007
28, 2004) Yale scientists, working with the fruit fly as a model, have discovered how odors are encoded by the olfactory system into the complex messages that are sent to the. . (Science Daily)
Human Noses Sort Out Strangers, Friends Dec 16, 2007
"Our study demonstrates that the olfactory system has preferential processing for behaviorally important stimuli," lead investigator Dr. Johan Lundstrom, former postdoctoral fellow at the MNI, said in a prepared statement. "This means that stimuli that are perceived as very important for us -- either for our survival, finding food, or [they] are carrying other important signals, such as mate selection signals -- are processed faster and more accurately by specialized neuronal networks. It is... (Health-Finder)
Pre-natal Alcohol Exposure Shapes Sensory Preference, Upping Odds Of Later Alcohol Use And Abuse Dec 14, 2007
Given the former, the olfactory system of a developing fetus becomes attuned to ethanol's chemosensory attributes ... The related study found strong evidence of the role of the olfactory system. (Science Daily)
Smell Experience Early In Life Alters Brain Dec 6, 2007
6, 2007) Unlike the circuitry of the visual system, that of the olfactory system was thought to be hardwired: Once the neurons had formed, no amount of sensory input could change their arrangement ... Rather, it may be a general feature of the olfactory system itself ... "This paper is the first compelling case that the olfactory system is plastic.". (Science Daily)
Campus Notes Nov 29, 2007
John Hildebrand of the University of Arizona will speak about "Explorations of a 'Simple' Olfactory System.". Alexander Razborov of the Institute for Advanced Study will speak at 4 p.m. today in 114 McAllister Building. (Daily Collegian, PA)
Odd Protein Interaction Guides Development Of Olfactory System Nov 4, 2007
The study reveals an unusual mechanism that is important to the development of the olfactory system, and perhaps to other parts of the nervous system, Hing said. But it also will interest cancer researchers, he said, because the genes that code for the Wnt class of proteins are oncogenes, which sometimes induce the growth of cancer cells. (Science Daily)
Do you find sweat repulsive? It may be down to your genes Oct 31, 2007
Like mice, we have about 1,000 different genes for the smell-detecting receptors in our olfactory system. However, over half of these genes have become defunct in the last few million years. (BBC News -- Health)
Why Garlic is Good for your Health Oct 21, 2007
"Sometimes it's called sewer gas. It's got a number of different names like that because it is very potent to our olfactory system and it is very toxic. It is a naturally occurring toxic gas, and if we smell a lot of it, if we get a, you know, a large whiff of it, it can paralyze your olfactory system and you can succumb to it. "So it is lethal, under high concentration. " Fortunately for us, at low doses it is highly beneficial. To start with, took mice blood vessels and bathed them in the... (Suite101.com)
Garlic-releasing gas fights disease, cancer: research Oct 16, 2007
It's got a number of different names like that because it is very potent to our olfactory system and it is very toxic. It is a naturally occurring toxic gas, and if we smell a lot of it, if we get a, you know, a large whiff of it, it can paralyse your olfactory system and you can succumb to it. (ABC Online)
Recent winners of Nobel in medicine Oct 8, 2007
- 2004: Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck of the United States for their work in studying odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system in human beings. - 2003: Paul C. Lauterbur, United States, and Sir Peter Mansfield, Britain, for discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging, a technique that reveals the brain and inner organs in breathtaking detail. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Cockroaches Are Morons In The Morning, Geniuses In The Evening Sep 29, 2007
"The fact that our study involves the olfactory system suggests that the circadian cycle could be influencing a number of senses beyond vision.". In the study, the researchers used cockroaches of the species Leucophaea maderae. (Science Daily)
Mystery Of A Third Olfactory System Unlocked Aug 31, 2007
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found a "nose within the nose," a unique olfactory system within the noses of mice that is able to "smell" hormones involved in regulating water and salt balance in the body ... The noses of mice and most other mammals contain both a main and accessory olfactory system ... ""This is evidence of an entirely different olfactory system mixed in with the main system in mice," says Dr. Munger. "It carries a very specific type of odor... (Science Daily)
Sniff test may detect disorders in early stages Aug 15, 2007
Because comparatively few brain cells are devoted to processing odors, "there's good reason to think the olfactory system is affected very early on with these conditions," said Richard Doty, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Smell and Taste Center, who has done research comparing the Sniff Magnitude Test with other smell-assessment measures ... "They've chosen some very good odors that stimulate the olfactory system effectively," Doty said. (International Herald Tribune)
Disabling a sensory organ prompts female mice to act like male mice Aug 6, 2007
While it is known that the organ is wired to the parts of the brain that govern reproductive behavior, its influence on gender-based behaviors was obscured in past studies because the surgical techniques used to ablate the organ flooded the nasal cavity with blood, disabling the olfactory system. To compare results from mice engineered to have a disabled vomeronasal organ, Dulac's group surgically removed the organ and ensured the nasal cavity was clear and the olfactory system operational. (EurekAlert!)
Neurosurgeon: Griz are sniffing champs of the wild Jul 29, 2007
believe they have the most impressive olfactory system of any animal on the planet ... Stevenson now knows, for instance, that the percentage of a bear's brain devoted to scent is at least five times greater than the percentage of human brain allocated to olfactory systems. (Missoulian, MT)
Integrated olfactory receptor and microarray gene expression databases Jul 1, 2007
Gene expression patterns of olfactory receptors (ORs) are an important component of the signal encoding mechanism in the olfactory system since they determine the interactions between odorant ligands and sensory neurons ... It facilitates the study of microarray experiments of gene expression in the olfactory system. (BioMed Central)
Making sense of taste (Shelley Widhalm) Jun 14, 2007
"When you chew food, it releases aromas ... that enter the olfactory system and contribute to the flavor of food," Mr. Davis says. Taste buds have about 100 taste cells, which have receptors attuned to one of the five taste qualities, Mr. Davis says. (Washington Times, DC)
New research shows sharks use their noses and bodies to locate smells May 30, 2007
The new study examined the contribution of the olfactory system, the lateral line, and vision in odor source detection and localization in the smooth dogfish shark. The results, which appear in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology, show that this shark is severely handicapped in its ability to locate the source of an odor when deprived of information from its lateral line, particularly in the dark. (EurekAlert!)
Yeast engineered to sniff out explosives May 9, 2007
In the journal Nature Chemical Biology Danny Dhanasekaran of Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and colleagues describe how they were inspired by the olfactory system of dogs, one which is highly sensitive to even previously unknown smells and sensitive enough to find land mines by smelling DNT.. The "business end" of the nose consists of proteins, called receptors, which dock with the chemicals responsible for a smell. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Noted Neurobiologist to Speak at Entomology Seminar Davis, May. 02 May 4, 2007
Hildebrand, a newly elected member of the National Academy of Sciences for distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, focuses his research on the insect's sense of smell, particularly the olfactory system of the giant sphinx moth, Manduca sexta ... He also will deliver a noon-hour seminar on "Explorations of a Simple Olfactory System" on Wednesday, May 16 in 122 Briggs Hall. (University of California Newswire, CA)
Cockroaches, flies, bees and fish among new recruits in war on terror... Mar 9, 2007
A small British biotechnology firm called Inscentinel is employing the finely tuned olfactory system of bees to sniff for explosives. And New York, California and Maryland are exploiting the highly sensitive nervous system of bluegill fish to test for toxins in municipal water supplies. (The Drudge Report)
Psychologist Explains The Neurochemistry Behind Romance Feb 15, 2007
"Pheromones are unlearned, and perhaps unsmellable, signals that enter the brain through the olfactory system. They can function in sex, alarm, territoriality, aggression, and fear," Kristal said, adding that while sex attractant pheromones may explain changes in libido, they don't explain why we choose a specific person for a mate. "In humans, specific mates are more probably chosen on the basis of other sensory cues: visual, regular olfactory, auditory and tactile cues," Kristal notes. (Science Daily)
Longevity By A Nose -- Or Odorant Receptor Feb 6, 2007
(June 28, 2004) -- Yale scientists, working with the fruit fly as a model, have discovered how odors are encoded by the olfactory system into the complex messages that are sent to the ... (November 24, 2004) -- Duke University Medical Center geneticists have discovered new proteins that help the olfactory system in mammals organize properly. (Science Daily)
Coho salmon making return to Pescadero Creek Jan 25, 2007
In addition, a hyper-sensitive olfactory system allows the fish to literally "smell" the creek. "It's a dramatic form of imprinting, but when you think about it, if the creek was good enough for spawning when the fish was born there, it's likely to be a choice place to spawn again," said MacFarlane. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Bisexual Fruit Flies Show New Role For Neurochemical Jan 4, 2007
Fruit flies' ability to discern one sex from another may depend on the number of receptors on the surface of nerve cells, and the number of receptors is controlled by levels of a ubiquitous brain chemical, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have found. Everything from the ability to concentrate, perceive and learn to debilitating illnesses such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, post-traumatic stress syndrome and schizophrenia is influenced by the number of... (Science Daily)
Noses more powerful than once thought Dec 22, 2006
Maybe both signals are the same, but the olfactory system just works better if it gets input from both nostrils. Or maybe the real explanation is that people take in less odor with one nostril than with two, giving a weaker signal. (MSNBC -- Health)
The mammal that can smell underwater Dec 22, 2006
Semi-aquatic mammals were thought to use their olfactory system only on dry land. Blowing bubbles. (Nature News Service)
9/11 rescue dogs less sick than humans Dec 6, 2006
"The dog's olfactory system is different from ours," said Gilkey. "I think that the problems that are happening with humans are respiratory-type injuries, and since the dog has a different system, the dog might be able to clear his nose and be able to continue to work and smell.". (Daily Collegian, PA)
* Scientists find link between olfactory system and disease Dec 6, 2006
Scientists find link between olfactory system and disease. AFP, SYDNEY Wednesday, Dec 06, 2006, Page 5. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Nobel for medicine awarded Oct 2, 2006
2004: Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck, both of the United States, for their work in studying odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system in human beings. 2003: Paul C. Lauterbur, United States, and Sir Peter Mansfield, Britain, for discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging, a technique that reveals the brain and inner organs in breathtaking detail. (USA Today -- News)
Researchers To Build An Artificial 'Bio-electronic' Nose Sep 26, 2006
(May 15, 2006) -- Modern-day doctors may soon start using smell to detect the early warning signs of different illnesses thanks to technology that replicates - and improves upon - the human olfactory system thanks to. . (Science Daily)
No-no cues from dads? Sep 25, 2006
Other researchers found that the chemical reaction that triggers menarche might be a little-known pheromone receptor gene in the human olfactory system, Matchock said. Dr. Bernard I. Grosser, a pioneer in pheromone research, characterized the study as "certainly provocative." "There are probably many different pheromone-like substances out there, and as yet we have little idea what they do," said Grosser, psychiatry professor and chairman at the University of Utah. (Newsday -- Health)
Fruit Fly Aggression Studies Have Relevance To Humans, Animals Sep 24, 2006
By comparing the olfactory system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which feeds from multiple fruit types. . (Science Daily)
Scent of father checks daughter's maturity Sep 12, 2006
"Recently, experts elsewhere discovered a little-known pheromone receptor gene in the human olfactory system, linking the role of pheromones on menarche, or the first occurrence of menstruation," said Matchock, whose findings are published in the recent issue of the American Journal of Human Biology. Researchers, including Elizabeth Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, collected menarcheal data from 1,938 college students to explore the link between... (EurekAlert!)
Insect 'Noses' The Key To Cybernose Collaboration Aug 25, 2006
A new 4 million collaboration announced today will help scientists in their efforts to produce a new generation of electronic nose, the 'Cybernose. A scanning electron micrograph of the head of Drosophila, or Fruit Fly. (Science Daily)
Scientists discover why it pays to be sniffy about attraction Aug 1, 2006
Dr Buck won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discoveries on odour receptors and the organisation of the olfactory system. SEE ALSO 19 Jul 06 | Science/Nature 30 Sep 99 | Science/Nature 15 Jan 06 | Health. (BBC News -- Science)
Researchers Show How Brain Decodes Complex Smells Jun 19, 2006
Smarter sections of the brain's olfactory system then categorize and combine these compounds into a recognizable scent ... Understanding how the olfactory system works in mice may also provide broader insights into human perception, said Stephen Shea, Ph ... Shea suggested that probing the olfactory system could help scientists better understand, for example, how the various biological and neurological components underlying perception formed and evolved. (Science Daily)
Scent of a man: plenty to sniff at Jun 14, 2006
Issey Miyake Summer may please his sensitive olfactory system. With whiffs of green leaves, rosemary and coriander, it's airy, sweet and most importantly, barely lingers. (The Miami Herald)
Touching on a tasty topic Jun 5, 2006
The olfactory system operates by analyzing chemical structure. When a molecule (or group of molecules) hits your olfactory receptors, it creates a pattern in the brain. (Buffalo News -- Arts)
Researchers Discover How Bacteria Sense Their Environments Jun 3, 2006
(November 24, 2004) -- Duke University Medical Center geneticists have discovered new proteins that help the olfactory system in mammals organize properly. Thus the proteins are key to the ability of mammals, including. (Science Daily)
How Does The Lowly Bacterium Sense Its Environment? Cornell Researchers Discover Lattice Of Supersensitive Receptors May 23, 2006
(November 24, 2004) -- Duke University Medical Center geneticists have discovered new proteins that help the olfactory system in mammals organize properly ... (April 13, 2006) -- Yale scientists have systematically plotted the responses of the entire Drosophila (fruit fly) olfactory system, providing the first multi-dimensional map of the range of odorants sensed and the. (Science Daily)
Research Shows How Visual Stimulation Turns Up Genes To Shape The Brain May 6, 2006
Vision, hearing and touch all develop during such critical periods, while other senses, such as the olfactory system, maintain lifelong plasticity. The visual system provides an exemplary model for studying developmental plasticity, however, because of the pioneering work of Nobel prize-winning HMS researchers David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel describing the visual system's structure, prerequisite knowledge for investigating its flexibility. (Science Daily)
Odor study maps fruit fly's 'nose' Apr 19, 2006
John Carlson, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and his former student, Elissa Hallem GRD '05, have plotted the entire Drosophila olfactory system ... To do this, the two studied how the fruit fly's olfactory system responded to more than 100 different odors, some synthetically created and others found in natural food sources, such as fruit ... "We found that different odors are represented very differently by the fly's olfactory system, both in terms of which... (Yale Daily News, CT)
How odors are sensed: A complex system clarified Apr 13, 2006
-- Yale scientists have systematically plotted the responses of the entire Drosophila (fruit fly) olfactory system, providing the first multi-dimensional map of the range of odorants sensed and the regions of the brain that are stimulated. the Eugene Higgins Professor of and Elissa Hallem, his former graduate student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, published the comprehensive study in the journal Cell. (EurekAlert!)
Dogs, not pesticides, tested in wine war Feb 24, 2006
A third of their brain is their olfactory system. There is no machine that can detect odor anywhere near their capabilities, says Bonnie Bergin, founder of the Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, which is conducting training for the dogs. (MSNBC -- Environment)
California vintners use golden retrievers to sniff out vineyard menace Feb 23, 2006
"A third of their brain is their olfactory system. There is no machine that can detect odor anywhere near their capabilities," says Bonnie Bergin, founder of the Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, which is conducting training for the dogs. Growers in Napa and Sonoma counties have donated nearly US$30,000 (25,200) for the first year of training and are discussing raising more funds, said Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association. (FindLaw News)
What's That Smell? Feb 18, 2006
The electronic olfactory system, which looks nothing like a nose, will be made up of sensors similar to receptors in our nasal passages. These sensors will be triggered by molecules floating in the air. (Fox News -- Headlines)
Evolutionary Shifts In Olfactory Sensitivities In Fruit Flies Jan 20, 2006
By comparing the olfactory system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which feeds from multiple fruit types, with that of its sibling species D. sechellia, a specialist particularly drawn to a single fruit type, researchers have demonstrated how evolution can act on several different levels of a sensory system to create a supersensitive detection system for a specific food source and egg-laying environment ... Most insects rely on their olfactory system to detect mates, food, and... (Science Daily)
