Topic: Research News
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder discovered that wind plays a crucial role in changing smell signals. This helps animals like bees and dogs navigate towards food sources.
Scientists have long been fascinated by how animals use their sense of smell to find food. But they didn't fully understand how this worked until now. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that wind changes the timing of smell signals in a way that helps animals navigate towards food sources.
The study, part of the international Odor2Action research network, involved an interdisciplinary team of scientists from 16 institutions. They used computer simulations and laboratory experiments to measure how air and odor move together within a plume. The team found three fundamental ways turbulence transforms odor signals: it filters out some frequencies, spreads others around, and generates new ones.
Imagine a bee flying towards a wild bergamot flower. As the scent of the flower leaves its petals, turbulent eddies stretch the plume into filaments that fold, spread, rotate, and mix. When the bee finally reaches the flower, it receives a complex and dynamic smell signal. The researchers believe that animals use these systematic changes in frequency to determine distance and direction to the odor source.
The study's lead author, Elle Stark, said,
Implications
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder discovered that wind plays a crucial role in changing smell signals. This helps animals like bees and dogs navigate towards food sources.
Leave a comment