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In a pilot study at the University of Helsinki, dogs trained as medical diagnostic assistants were taught to recognize the previously unknown odor signature of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus. And they learned with astonishing success: After only a few weeks, the first dogs were able to accurately distinguish urine samples from COVID-19 patients from urine samples of healthy individuals.
— Read more in Dogs Can Smell COVID-19 at EcoWatch.
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Experiments of mosquito behavior showed that both native and non-native mosquitoes preferred a solution of nonanal and lilac aldehyde mixed in the same ratio as found in blunt-leaf flowers. If the researchers omitted lilac aldehyde from the recipe, mosquitoes lost interest. If they added more lilac aldehyde -- at levels found in the blunt-leaf orchid's close relatives -- mosquitoes were indifferent or repelled by the scent.
Read more in Mosquitoes are drawn to flowers as much as people -- and now scientists know why at EurekAlert.
A male orchid bee zips around the rainforest, a flash of iridescent green against an equally emerald background. The bee stops at various flowers, fungi and dead trees, collecting fragrant particles and storing them in pockets in its hind legs. ...it flitters about, using its wings to disperse a bouquet of perfumes into the air.
The aromatic efforts are all for the sake of attracting a mate.
— Read more in A single gene for scent reception separates two species of orchid bees at Phys.org.
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Geosmin is one of the most recognizable and common microbial smells on the planet, and scientists from FIU, Lund University and University of Washington have discovered the organic compound is particularly appealing to mosquitoes looking for a place to lay their eggs.
“It’s the smell of rain as it drops on the parched earth,” said FIU biologist Matthew DeGennaro, who was part of the team that made the discovery. “We now know geosmin is part of the story of how mosquitoes breed.”
— Read more in Scientists bait mosquitoes with one of Earth’s most common scents at Florida International University.
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One way birds stay clean is by spreading around oil produced by the preen, or uropygial, gland. It’s thought that the oil is primarily used to preserve feathers, but previous studies of bird olfaction have also shown that some species communicate using the oil. Researchers have shown that some birds show a preference for certain oily smells, with some songbirds ditching the father of their chicks if a better smelling stud comes along.
— Read more at Birds Sniff Each Other’s Bacteria to Help Choose a Mate at Smithsonian.