Leslie B. Vosshall

B Vosshall and

Leslie B Vosshall is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Chemers Family associate professor and head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior at The Rockefeller University. She works on the molecular biology of olfactory perception and behavior in Drosophila, mosquitoes, and humans using a multidisciplinary approach that blends cell biology, behavior, genetics, and...

Behavioral Neuroscience: Learning to Suckle with Signature Odor

A new study in mice reveals that an apparently innate behavior, suckling, is triggered not by a classical pheromone but by the pup learning the complex signature odor of its mother.

A Unified Nomenclature System for the Drosophila Odorant Receptors

Scent of a Fly

Sexual courtship is a highly ritualized behavior in many animals. Recent work in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has illuminated how the pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate modulates sexual behavior in the fly. Chemosensory receptors and a sexually dimorphic circuit activated by this pheromone have been identified. This minireview highlights recent advances in the field of fly courtship.

Social Signals: The Secret Language of Mice

Animals are known to produce substances that modulate social and sexual behavior of conspecifics, but the mechanistic details underlying these phenomena have been elusive. A recent paper identifies a male-specific compound in mouse urine that activates olfactory bulb neurons and mediates behavioral attraction.