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The study revealed that dogs can learn to identify concentrations of eucalyptus hydrolate that are clearly below the detection threshold of sophisticated analytical instruments used today. The concentrations were also far below previously reported levels.
— Read more in Scent detection dogs discern odor molecules better than previously thought at Phys.org.
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Insects such as fruit flies, on the other hand, have a mere 100,000 neurons to work with. Yet their survival is dependent upon their ability to decipher the meaning of complex odor mixtures around them to locate food, seek potential mates and avoid predators. Scientists have pondered how insects are able to smell, or extract information from odors, with a much smaller olfactory sensory system compared with mammals.
— Read more in Detecting Odors on the Edge: Researchers Decipher How Insects Smell More with Less at UC San Diego.
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A new scientific study suggests that some species of ticks—those Lyme Disease-spreading creepy crawlies—are scared off by pheromones produced by ants. Now, a team of researchers is working to synthetically replicate these ant excretions and sell them as tick repellent. Because unlike DEET or Citronella or other popular tick spray, the one derived from ant juice is virtually undetectable by the human nose.
— Read more in To Repel Ticks, Hikers Should Smell Like Ants at Outside.
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A few years ago, retired police officer Sam Bryce posted a question on the U.K. Facebook group “Ladies Who Lamb.” A ram she owned had become very ill-tempered and was picking on his castrated fieldmate. Was there anything the other shepherdesses could suggest to calm him?
The replies came back within minutes: Lynx Africa.
— Read more in Axe Body Spray Finds an Unlikely New Customer: Grouchy Sheep at The Wall Street Journal. Hat tip to ceelouise!
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Say the words “animal self-recognition,” and many scientists will think of chimpanzees, crows and elephants.
For the first time, researchers — employing an innovative twist on the mirror test — have found evidence that garter snakes can distinguish themselves from others, using not sight but scent.
— Read more in How a Snake Uses Its Sense of Smell at The New York Times.