A new study lends support to a controversial theory -- that our noses can smell the difference not only in the shape of a molecule, but also in its vibrational characteristics. Many who study olfaction maintain that an odorant's shape and surface are the only things that impact how it smells. But theoretical biophysicist Ilia Solov'yov has used a recent study on fruit flies to explain how a molecule's vibrational frequency can also impact the sense of smell.

The study is detailed in the article "Vibrationally assisted electron transfer mechanism of olfaction: myth or reality?" in the October 2012 issue of the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP).

Solov'yov is a Postdoctoral Fellow and a member of Klaus Schulten's Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group at the Beckman Institute.

• Date Added:   09/17/12
• Author:   BeckmanInstitute
• Length:   00:06:21