Detecting Odors on the Edge: Researchers Decipher How Insects Smell More with Less

Credit: Aljadeff Lab, UC San Diego

Scientists have proposed a solution for how fruit flies use a simple but efficient system to recognize odors, and the answer lies at the edges of their antennae.

« Detecting Odors on the Edge: Researchers Decipher How Insects Smell More with Less

Credit: Palka Puri, UC San Diego

The researchers showed that as flies encounter an odor signal, the specific pattern of interference between the receptors helps flies quickly compute the “gist” of the odor’s meaning.

« Detecting Odors on the Edge: Researchers Decipher How Insects Smell More with Less

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