Japanese electronics giant Sony has developed a device to measure an individual's sense of smell. The company hopes it will eventually be used at hospitals as olfactory measurement could help with the early detection of dementia.

Sony says the equipment can produce 40 different smells. It instantly emits a scent when the operator selects one from a dedicated app. Test subjects also use the app to indicate what they think the smell is.

— Read more in Sony develops machine to measure sense of smell at NHK World Japan.

When worms were limited in the amount of food they could eat, the FMO protein, which was highlighted using a fluorescent marker, lit up “like a Christmas tree…it was bright red,” noted Leiser. However, when the worms were exposed to food smells, there was considerably less activation of FMO, leading to a loss of life extension.

— Read more in Serotonin and Dopamine Modulate Aging in Response to Food Odor and Availability at Neuroscience News.