For the first time, researchers have determined how a human olfactory receptor captures an airborne scent molecule, the pivotal chemical event that triggers our sense of smell. Whether it evokes roses ...

Researchers have for the first time identified the function of olfactory receptors in the human heart muscle, such as are also present in the nose. One of the receptors reacts to fatty acids that ...

A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now discovered that the odorant receptor OR5K1 is specialized to recognize pyrazines ...

Humans have about 400 odorant receptors (ORs), but scientists have had trouble finding ligands that match up with most of these ORs in lab settings—leaving them with a murky understanding of how ...

A team of chemical and biological engineers at Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea has developed a proof-of-concept device that could one day lead to the creation of an artificial nose.

A wide variety of chemicals having distinct odors are smelled by humans. Odor perception initiates in the nose, where it is detected by a large family of olfactory receptors (ORs). Based on divergence ...

Recognizing foods, predators, and pests by their smell is of key evolutionary significance in many species, including humans. Smell relies on molecular recognition—the precise binding of a volatile ...

To advance the understanding of olfaction, visualizing the binding of odorants to olfactory receptors remains a challenge. By resolving the structure of olfactory receptors, a Franco-American team of ...

Duke lab built Neanderthal, Denisovan smell receptors, tested them in a dish DURHAM, N.C. – If you had the grooming habits of a Neanderthal, perhaps it’s a good thing your nose wasn’t as sensitive to ...

A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now discovered that the odorant receptor OR5K1 is specialized to recognize pyrazines ...