Mechanisms of scent-tracking in humans.
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.
Porter
Jess
J
299 Life Science Addition, MC 3200, Program in Biophysics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jessiep@berkeley.edu
Craven
Brent
B
Khan
Rehan M
RM
Chang
Shao-Ju
SJ
Kang
Irene
I
Judkewitz
Benjamin
B
Judkewicz
Benjamin
B
Volpe
Jason
J
Settles
Gary
G
Sobel
Noam
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013997:Time Factors