How Odors Control Breathing: Scientists Uncover a Hidden Olfactory Mechanism

Scientists have long known that humans and animals actively explore their surroundings through movement—gaze, head rotations, and hand actions. Smell is also an active sense: to perceive an odor more clearly, we make short, purposeful inhalations, or “sniffing” movements. However, until now, it was unknown whether the nature of these inhalations can change depending on…