Ladybugs lay down "trails" of scents to help guide other ladybugs to a meetup spot. Photograph By Javier Torrent/VWPics/Redux It’s an ongoing debate on TikTok: A couple wonders why one of them can ...

It’s clear that genes, receptors and neurons all play a role in detecting odors. But much of how we make sense of what we sniff remains mysterious. A neuroscientist explains. By Daniela Hirschfeld / ...

The smell in the laboratory was new. It was, in the language of the business, tenacious: for more than a week, the odour clung to the paper on which it had been blotted. To researcher Alex Wiltschko, ...

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 ...

When Thomas Hummel gets a whiff of an unripe, green tomato, he finds himself in his childhood home in Bavaria. Under the tilted ceilings of the bedroom that he shared with his two older brothers, ...

If you compare a human’s nose to a dog’s nose, the former usually comes up wanting. Canine noses are so sensitive, they can smell a human’s stress and use the various odors around them to paint a ...

Just like “the dress” divided the internet a decade ago, the insect smell question is one of the latest debates. So, why do some people pick up these odors, while others don’t? The answer goes back to ...