Smells Dangerous

Milk, toothpaste, coffee, petrol, spices, flowers – all smells you may have recognised today. Each one releases a different set of chemicals into the air which trigger sensitive cells in the olfactory bulb (just behind the nose). Generally we recognise smells as a blend of signals from these cells, combined by the brain into a 'flowery' or 'toothpastey' smell. Pictured in bright colours in a mouse, cells in the olfactory necklace work differently. Each cell senses entire sets of smelly chemicals at once – and humans have them, too. Researchers think necklace cells respond to overall smells, saving the brain time in assembling the smell from other olfactory cells. Which smells might be this important, though? Perhaps those we associate with danger, or pheromones released by a potential mate – future studies in the brain will hopefully solve this smelly mystery.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Paul L. Greer and Daniel M. Bear, and colleagues
• Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
• Image copyright Elsevier 2016
• Published in Cell, May 2016