Found: A Receptor For The Smell Of Rotting Flesh
A female specimen of a zebrafish (Danio rerio) breed with fantails Azul via Wikimedia Commons The striped zebrafish is a popular pet, not uncommon in aquariums. But it may have a lot more in common with pet owners than you might guess by looking at it—humans actually share 70 percent of our genes with the little swimmers. This is cool for many reasons; for one, the zebrafish can repair its own heart, and the commonalities have made it a focus of medical research. And now, in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have identified the receptor for the particularly putrid aroma of cadaverine, also known as rotting flesh. Cadaverine or putrescine (a related compound that is also caused by decomposing organisms) is a positive signal for many species. For rats or goldfish, the smell could mean...