Reference Terms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olfaction

Olfaction, the sense of odor (smell), is the detection of chemicals dissolved in air (or in water, by animals that live under water).

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Olfaction", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For more information, see the following related content on ScienceDaily:

1

2

Poor Sense of Smell Linked to Increased Risk of Depression in Older Adults

June 26, 2023 — In a study that followed more than 2,000 community-dwelling older adults over eight years, researchers say they have significant new evidence of a link between decreased sense of smell and risk of ...

Scientists Want to Know How the Smells of Nature Benefit Our Health

May 15, 2024 — Spending time in nature is good for us. And knowing more about nature's effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems ...

A Step Closer to Digitizing the Sense of Smell: Model Describes Odors Better Than Human Panelists

Aug. 31, 2023 — A main crux of neuroscience is learning how our senses translate light into sight, sound into hearing, food into taste, and texture into touch. Smell is where these sensory relationships get more ...

SCENTinel 1.1, Second Iteration of Monell's Rapid Smell Test, Discriminates Between Smell Loss and Smell Distortions

Mar. 8, 2023 — A research team showed that the smell test SCENTinel 1.1 can successfully discriminate between different types of smell disorders. SCENTinel 1.1 can rapidly identify parosmia, the distorted ...

First Week After Birth Is Critical for Development of Senses

June 11, 2024 — Researchers have found that the maturation of the senses for smell and touch is closely linked in mice and that this strong interaction takes place within a narrow developmental time window. These ...

Novel Molecular Imaging Tool Objectively Measures and Diagnoses Smell Disorders

Aug. 20, 2024 — A new fluorescent imaging probe can for the first time objectively and non-invasively measure loss of smell, clinically known as anosmia. Targeting the olfactory nerve, the new tool has potential to ...

People With Increased Genetic Risk of Alzheimer's May Lose Sense of Smell First

July 26, 2023 — People who carry the gene variant associated with the strongest risk for Alzheimer's disease may lose their ability to detect odors earlier than people who do not carry the gene variant, which ...

Researchers Reveal an Added Layer of Nuance in Our Sense of Smell

Jan. 4, 2023 — 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 ...

A Trillion Scents, One Nose

Dec. 21, 2023 — A research team has uncovered a previously undetected mechanism in mice -- starring the genetic molecule RNA -- that could explain how each sensory cell, or neuron, in mammalian noses becomes ...

Making Sense of Scents: Deciphering Our Sense of Smell

Mar. 15, 2023 — Breaking a longstanding impasse in our understanding of olfaction, scientists have created the first molecular-level, 3D picture of how an odor molecule activates a human odorant receptor, a crucial ...

Mind & Brain News

April 14, 2025

Scientists Complete Largest Wiring Diagram and Functional Map of the Brain to Date

Apr. 9, 2025 — From a tiny sample of tissue no larger than a grain of sand, scientists have come within reach of a goal once thought unattainable: building a complete functional wiring diagram of a portion of the ...

Study Strengthens Link Between Shingles Vaccine and Lower Dementia Risk

Apr. 2, 2025 — A new analysis of a vaccination program in Wales found that the shingles vaccine appeared to lower new dementia diagnoses by 20% -- more than any other known ...

New Study Links Lower Proportions of Certain Sleep Stages to Brain Changes Associated With Alzheimer's Disease

Mar. 31, 2025 — New research reveals that lower proportions of specific sleep stages are associated with reduced brain volume in regions vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's disease over ...

Feeling the Future: New Wearable Tech Simulates Realistic Touch

Mar. 27, 2025 — Most haptic devices only deliver feedback as simple vibrations. New device applies dynamic forces in any direction to simulate a more realistic sense of touch. Small, lightweight device can enhance virtual reality, help individuals with visual ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET

New Study Finds Surprising Way to Curb College-Aged Drinking Harms -- Without Cutting Alcohol

Apr. 14, 2025 — Researchers have developed and tested an intervention called Counter-Attitudinal Advocacy and compared it to to the well-established Personalized ...

Researchers May Have Solved Decades-Old Mystery Behind Benzodiazepine Side Effects

Apr. 14, 2025 — Identifying a key protein's role could improve the common mental health medications and point to new treatments for inflammation-related diseases, a ...

LSD Analogue With Potential for Treating Schizophrenia Developed

Apr. 14, 2025 — Researchers have developed a new, neuroplasticity-promoting drug closely related to LSD that harnesses the psychedelic's therapeutic power with reduced hallucinogenic ...

AI Tool to Better Assess Parkinson's Disease, Other Movement Disorders

Apr. 14, 2025 — A groundbreaking open-source computer program uses artificial intelligence to analyze videos of patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The tool, called VisionMD, helps ...

Gestational Diabetes Linked to ADHD in Children

Apr. 14, 2025 — A new study has found children born to mothers who experienced gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy are more likely to develop attention-deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and externalizing ...

Scientists Identify Key Enzyme in Alzheimer's Disease That Links Brain Inflammation to Memory Loss

Apr. 14, 2025 — A research team has identified a previously unknown enzyme, SIRT2, that plays a key role in memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ...

Police Officers Face Twice the Risk of Traumatic Brain Injuries and PTSD, Survey Finds

Apr. 11, 2025 — Police officers are more than twice as likely to have traumatic brain injuries compared to the general ...

Brain Study Increases Understanding of What Triggers Drug Use Relapse

Apr. 10, 2025 — Research on the biological basis of addiction has found that the critical epigenetic enzyme histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) limits the expression of the gene Scn4b, regulating neuronal activity and ...

Scientists Develop Process Using Molecules in the Cell to Identify Environmental Signals

Apr. 10, 2025 — Scientists have transformed RNA, a biological molecule present in all living cells, into a biosensor that can detect tiny chemicals relevant to human ...

Study Provides Scaffold to Selectively Target Drug Breakdown Process

Apr. 10, 2025 — Scientists explored selectively blocking the CYP3A4 protein responsible for breaking down large swaths of approved drugs, providing a way to improve drug ...

Olfaction

1

2

Mind & Brain News

Latest Headlines

Breaking

Trending Topics

Strange & Offbeat Stories