Dogs have the ability to determine the direction of an odour trail left by a human. This study examined how much olfactory information from this trail is required by dogs to determine direction. Six dogs, able to determine direction, were tested on a 21 footstep trail laid on 21 individual carpet squares, one footstep per square, by the same individual wearing the same shoes. Dogs brought in at...

OBJECTIVES To study the biochemical, familial, and clinical features of the fish odour syndrome among subjects with suspected body malodour. DESIGN Subjects who responded to a newspaper article were screened for the fish odour syndrome by interview and biochemical tests. Families of subjects with the syndrome were tested if possible. SETTING St Mary's Hospital, London, and some interviews a...

We studied the Ca2+ dynamics of odour-evoked glomerular patterns in the antennal lobe of the moth Spodoptera littoralis using optical imaging. Here we selectively stained a large population of antennal lobe output neurones, projection neurones, by retrograde filling with FURA-dextran from the inner antennocerebral tract in the protocerebrum. Different plant-associated odorants evoked distribute...

1. Beginning with a single propositus, who had been previously diagnosed at the age of 10 as suffering from trimethylaminuria (fish-odour syndrome), both her parents and two sisters were investigated biochemically with respect to their ability to N-oxidize trimethylamine (TMA), both when derived from the diet and when administered exogenously. 2. Both the propositus and a second sister were mar...

We have analysed the fine-scale kinematics of movement of male and female copepods, Temora longicornis, to resolve how these small animals find their mates. Location of the trail initially involves rapid random turning and high rates of directional change. Males subsequently increase their rate of movement as they follow the trail, and execute a regular pattern of counter turns in both x,z and ...

We investigated recognition and identification of wine-relevant odours as a function of domain-specific expertise. Eleven wine experts and 11 wine novices participated in tasks measuring olfactory threshold, odour recognition, odour identification, and consistency of odour naming. Twenty-four wine-relevant odorants were sampled orthonasally by each participant in the semantic (identification; c...

Predation pressure acts on the behaviour and morphology of prey species. In fish, the degree of lateralization varies between high- and low-predation populations. While lateralization appears to be widespread in invertebrates, we do not know whether heredity and early experience interact during development as in vertebrates. Here we show, for the first time, that an exposure to predator odour p...

INTRODUCTION Fat can be perceived through mouthfeel, odour and taste, but the influence of these modalities on fat perception remains undefined. Fatty acids are stimuli and individual sensitivity to fatty acids varies. Studies show association between fatty acid sensitivity, dietary intake and BMI, but results are conflicting. Therefore, this study examined this association, and the effect of m...

Mating induces profound physiological changes in a wide range of insects, leading to behavioural adjustments to match the internal state of the animal. Here, we show for the first time, to our knowledge, that a noctuid moth switches its olfactory response from food to egg-laying cues following mating. Unmated females of the cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) are strongly attracted to lilac...

The examination of molecular surfaces seems to be a very promising tool for the investigation of sandalwood odour molecules [1-4]. These com­ pounds usually contain terpenoid structures with a polar group, often a hydroxyl group, and a rather hydrophobic voluminous residue at the other side of the molecule. It has been shown that the shape of the molecules mainly determines the biological effec...