Digitizing the chemical senses: Possibilities & pitfalls

Chemical senses.

In the last decade, studies using approaches from molecular biology have substantially advanced our understanding of the early events in olfaction and taste. The many odorants that we can recognize may well interact with many distinct receptor proteins. Of the four taste qualities that we recognize, studies on salty and sour suggest that these tastes involve ion channels in the membrane of rece...

Chemical senses.

Aging and the Chemical Senses

Everyone is aware that the visual and auditory senses dim with age, and expects the elderly to need reading glasses and hearing aids. What about the chemical senses of smell and taste? In what ways do our perceptions of the volatile and water-soluble molecules we smell and taste change? How pronounced is that change? And how early in life does it begin? Before addressing these questions, it is ...

The Chemical Senses in Birds

The chemical senses generally fall into three categories: chemesthesis (irritation and pain), olfaction (smell), and gustation (taste). Traditionally, the emphasis in describing responsiveness to chemical stimuli has been placed on taste and smell. The reality is more complex. For example, the sensory afferents for chemesthetic perception are in close proximity with olfactory receptors in the n...

Commentary: describing differences--possibilities and pitfalls.

Reports of attempts to investigate, characterize, compare, and contrast those who are mentally ill fill the literature and invite controversy. It seems to be part of human nature to reestablish and define the differences between us. Creative descriptive studies continually challenge our perspective, yet they must be balanced with thoughtful consideration of possible selection bias, an understan...