Stuart Firestein
Biologist, Columbia University
Dr. Stuart Firestein is the Chair of Columbia University's Department of Biological Sciences. His colleagues and he study the vertebrate olfactory receptor neuron as a model for investigating general principles and mechanisms of "signal transduction" — the ways in which chemicals, such as neurotransmitters, hormones, and peptides with membrane receptors, exert their influence in the brain and nervous system. He hypothesizes that the olfactory neuron is uniquely suited for these studies since it is designed specifically for the detection and discrimination of a wide variety of small organic molecules, i.e. odors.
After three or four odors are blended together, even the best noses in the world have a difficult time distinguishing one original scent from another.
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2 min
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“There are some things that simply disgust us in a very, very instinctive, deep kind of way. And there are other things that we clearly learn to find either good […]
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3 min
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The cause of the so-called “Proustian experience” of recalling a vivid memory through taste is well documented, but its cause continues to confound scientists.
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5 min
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What’s remarkable about the olfactory system is that from the outside world to the highest level of brain tissue there are only two synapses.
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4 min
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Our olfactory system’s methods of molecular recognition provide a model for understanding all kinds of other receptors in our bodies.
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2 min
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Olfaction may be both the most primitive and the most sophisticated of our five senses.
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4 min
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A step-by-step explanation of how flavor makes it from our mouths to our brains, as well as a “shocking” interactive experiment for you to try at home.
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5 min
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Taste refers to our five sensitivities — sweet, sour, salt, bitter, and umami — while flavor is a “hedonic” sense involving smell, texture, and expectation.
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2 min
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A conversation with the chair of Columbia University’s Department of Biological Sciences.
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27 min
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