Mechanisms of scent-tracking in humans.
Porter, Jess; Craven, Brent; Khan, Rehan M; Chang, Shao-Ju; Kang, Irene; Judkewitz, Benjamin; Volpe, Jason; Settles, Gary; and Sobel, Noam
(2007)
Mechanisms of scent-tracking in humans.
Nature neuroscience, 10 (1).
pp. 27-29.
ISSN 1097-6256
DOI: 10.1038/nn1819
Whether mammalian scent-tracking is aided by inter-nostril comparisons is unknown. We assessed this in humans and found that (i) humans can scent-track, (ii) they improve with practice, (iii) the human nostrils sample spatially distinct regions separated by approximately 3.5 cm and, critically, (iv) scent-tracking is aided by inter-nostril comparisons. These findings reveal fundamental mechanisms of scent-tracking and suggest that the poor reputation of human olfaction may reflect, in part, behavioral demands rather than ultimate abilities.
Item Type | Article |
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ISI | 243096100011 |
Date Deposited | 03 Oct 2012 21:02 |