Month: September 2022

FRAGMENT IN NATURE, this weekend focuses on our sense of smell, or olfaction. While our taste senses appear quite limited to a putative list of about ten tastes, our sense of smell covers an enormous range of molecules. And smell and taste receptors appear to be multi-functional and appear all over the body, as well as being at times synergistic. View in LinkedIn

THREE NOBEL PRIZES, for six researchers, have been awarded for remarkable advances in the science of smell and taste. Richard Axel and Linda B Buck, in 2004 for scent receptors. Robert Leftkowitz and Brian K Kobilka, in 2012 for G-protein coupled receptors. Alfred G Gilman and Martin Rodbell, in 1994 for G-protein signal transduction. A vast leap forward in our understanding of these fundamental senses. https://lnkd.in/eQzx8w5 View in LinkedIn

"SCENT CELLS are renewed every 30 to 60 days. The sense of smell is the only cranial nerve — nerves that emerge from the brain and control bodily functions including eye movement, hearing, taste, and vision — that can regenerate." This fact underpins the biological importance of a sense of smell. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/incredible-facts-about-your-sense-smell/ View in LinkedIn

ENORMOUS RANGE. The human nose can detect about a trillion smells, using only 1,000 different scent receptors. How can this possibly be? http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/03/human-nose-can-detect-trillion-smells View in LinkedIn

ODOR SYSTEM FIDELITY. "In mammals, each olfactory receptor neuron expresses only one functional odor receptor." https://lnkd.in/e9z896Q View in LinkedIn

HIGH SPECIFICITY. "Each odor receptor molecule recognizes only a particular molecular feature or class of odor molecules." https://lnkd.in/e9z896Q View in LinkedIn

KINDRED SCENTS. "Humans can detect individuals that are blood-related kin (mothers/fathers and children but not husbands and wives) from olfaction. Mothers can identify by body odor their biological children but not their stepchildren. Preadolescent children can olfactorily detect their full siblings but not half-siblings or step siblings and this might explain incest avoidance and the Westermarck effect." https://lnkd.in/e9z896Q View in LinkedIn

SMELL AND EMOTION. "The perception of smell consists not only of the sensation of the odours themselves but of the experiences and emotions associated with these sensations. Smells can evoke strong emotional reactions. In surveys on reactions to odours, responses show that many of our olfactory likes and dislikes are based purely on emotional associations." https://lnkd.in/eaYYGTR View in LinkedIn

SENSOMICS. "Sperm cells are known to contain odor receptors, which are thought to play a role in helping the sperm locate the egg. Growing evidence now suggests these receptors are also found in the heart, lungs and blood," and blood cells will tend to migrate towards odors. https://lnkd.in/eigZNr2 View in LinkedIn

GENETICS OF OLFACTION. "The olfactory receptor (OR) family is "one of the largest known mammalian gene families, with around 900 genes in human and 1500 in mouse. OR genes code G-protein-coupled receptors containing seven transmembrane domains," some of the more complicated receptor families known. https://lnkd.in/eib7SgQ View in LinkedIn