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Olfaction

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

Published on: November 30, 2018

Olfaction in the female sheep botfly.

Simone Poddighe¹, Teun Dekker, Antonio Scala

¹Department of Experimental Biology, University of Cagliari, I 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy. s.poddighe@unica.it

Die Naturwissenschaften

|July 29, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The nasal botfly (Oestrus ovis) uses its antennae to detect odors, challenging previous beliefs. This research reveals olfactory capabilities crucial for understanding this important livestock and human pest.

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Area of Science:

Entomology
Insect olfaction
Veterinary parasitology

Background:

Oestrus ovis, the nasal botfly, causes myiasis in livestock and humans.
Adult flies are visually guided for host-seeking and larvipositing, with olfaction previously thought to be unimportant.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the olfactory capabilities of adult Oestrus ovis females.
To provide a morpho-functional basis for understanding olfactory-mediated behaviors in this pest.

Main Methods:

Morphological analysis of Oestrus ovis antennae and antennal lobes.
Electrophysiological or behavioral assays to test odor detection of synthetic compounds.

Main Results:

Oestrus ovis antennae possess well-developed olfactory sensilla.
The antennal lobes show organized glomerular structures, indicating olfactory processing.
The flies demonstrated the ability to detect several synthetic odor compounds.

Conclusions:

Olfaction plays a role in the behavior of Oestrus ovis.
These findings open new avenues for research into olfactory-mediated pest control strategies.