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A new study led by Bucknell University professor Sarah Lower, biology, suggests that the common eastern firefly that lights up the evening every summer throughout Pa. uses more than just light to attract mates.
The study, published in BMC Genomics, explains the discovery of genetic evidence that Photinus pyralis uses scent for communication and courtship.
— Read more in Bucknell biologists discover evidence that fireflies possess sense of smell at NorthCentralPA.
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A recent study published in Current Biology has found that animals living at elevations of 1,000 meters and higher have a reduction in genes related to smell and a smaller olfactory bulb than similar low-altitude species. [...] Scientists found a 23% reduction in genes related to smell and an average of an 18% size reduction of the olfactory bulb, a kind of smell processing center located in the brain.
— Read more in Animals living at higher elevations found to have decreased sense of smell at Phys.org.
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But in a study published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, Dr. Uchiyama and his team managed to achieve some research findings in feline behavior, establishing that cats respond differently to the scents of their owners than to the odors of strangers. That suggests your feline friend knows what you smell like, in addition to what you look and sound like.
— Read more in Your Cat May or May Not Love You, but It Knows Your Scent at The New York Times, or see Cats distinguish owner's smell from stranger's, study finds at BBC.
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Researchers in Japan have developed an odor-detecting drone that uses antennae taken from insects.
The “insect drone” can autonomously find its way to the source of an odor.
The researchers hope that by expanding the range of the drone’s odor detection, and ultimately enabling it to detect the scent of humans, the device can be a useful tool for search and rescue missions at disaster sites.
— Read more in Odor-detecting drone uses moth antennae at Star Advertiser.
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Most spiders have eight legs, no ears and use fine leg hairs connected to nerve cells or their webs to hear sounds in their environment. But how do they smell?
A new study by an international team of researchers has found that male spiders “smell” with their legs, using olfactory hairs — wall-pore sensilla — as their “nose” to detect sex pheromones released by females.
— Read more in Spiders ‘Smell’ Using Their Legs, Research Finds at EcoWatch.