Research team designs small-scale 'chemical nose'

A living organism's nose is essentially a biological molecule detector that sends neurological signals to the brain, which then decodes a particular scent. Human noses, with six million olfactory receptors, can distinguish ...

A whiff of tears reduces male aggression, says study

Watching someone cry often evokes an emotional response—but according to a new study published Thursday, human tears themselves contain a chemical signal that reduces brain activity linked to aggression.

Understanding crop pest evolution may boost biocontrol

The Egyptian cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) is a pest species in France. It is found throughout the Mediterranean Basin as well as in Africa and the Middle East. Moth larvae are extremely polyphagous and cause damage ...

Scientists find chemical that stops locust cannibalism

Plagues of locusts that darken the skies and devastate all things that grow have been recorded since Biblical times, and today threaten the food security of millions of people across Asia and Africa.

Chemical signal protects migratory locusts from cannibalism

Huge swarms of migratory locusts take on the proportions of natural disasters and threaten the food supply of millions of people, especially in Africa and Asia. As the eighth of the ten biblical plagues, the Book of Moses ...

Researchers discover molecular basis for alkaline taste

Whether or not animals can taste basic or alkaline food and how they do it has remained a mystery until now. A research group led by Yali Zhang, Ph.D., principal investigator at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, recently ...

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