Many people consider the sense of smell less important than their other senses, despite its role in helping us interpret our environment, experience taste, and detect danger. For scientists, olfaction (the perception of airborne molecules) is still full of unanswered questions, especially when it comes to how smell receptors in the nose are organized.

To help lift the veil on this mysterious sense, researchers from Harvard Medical School have created the first detailed map of how more than a thousand smell receptors are arranged in the nose. The work marks a breakthrough in olfactory research and fills a long-standing gap in our understanding of the senses.