Neuroscience

Researchers identify neurons that 'learn' to smell a threat

Whether conscious of it or not, when entering a new space, we use our sense of smell to assess whether it is safe or a threat. In fact, for much of the animal kingdom, this ability is necessary for survival and reproduction. ...

Medical research

Researchers reveal an added layer of nuance in our sense of smell

The delicate fragrance of jasmine is a delight to the senses. The sweet scent is popular in teas, perfumes and potpourri. But take a whiff of the concentrated essential oil, and the pleasant aroma becomes almost cloying. ...

Neuroscience

Treating gut pain via a Nobel prize-winning receptor

Targeting a receptor responsible for our sense of touch and temperature, which researchers have now found to be present in our colon, could provide a new avenue for treating chronic pain associated with gastrointestinal disorders ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Scientists find key reason why loss of smell occurs in long COVID-19

The reason some people fail to recover their sense of smell after COVID-19 is linked to an ongoing immune assault on olfactory nerve cells and an associated decline in the number of those cells, a team of scientists led by ...

Genetics

Describing the genes associated with the sixth sense

To perform coordinated movements, we rely on special sensory neurons in our muscles and joints. Without them, the brain wouldn't know what the rest of our body was doing. A team led by Niccolò Zampieri has studied their ...

Neuroscience

Mapping the path from smell to perception

Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our behavior and emotions. Aromas can evoke vivid memories of the past or warn us of a smoldering fire. Yet to neuroscientists, smell remains the most mysterious of our five senses.

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