Photograph courtesy Sobel et al, Nature Neuroscience Published
October 3, 2011 Millions of receptors in the nose's smelling
organ aren't scattered at random, a new study says. Instead, the
receptors congregate in tiny hot spots that help the brain
discern good smells from bad ones, among other potential
functions. The evidence was gathered by sticking electronic
probes up people's noses and measuring the chatter of nasal
neurons as subjects were exposed to scents. The findings imply
that the pleasantness of a smell is hardwired within our heads,
calling into question the impact of life experience on how
people perceive smells. "It's both exciting and disturbing,"
said Don Wilson of the New York University School of Medicine, a
neurobiologist who was not involved in the work. "It doesn't fit
in with what I think or a lot of other researchers think about
smell." Instead of the brain processing all scent information,
for instance, it seems nasal neurons preprocess some of
it—almost as if the nose has its own sma