National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Mammals Have "Alarm Detectors" in Noses


Email to a Friend	<< Back to Full Story

Long nerve fibers connect a mouse's olfactory bulb—the green circle seen above—to a ball of microscopic cells called the Grueneberg ganglion at the tip of its nose.

The tiny ganglion, long a mystery to scientists, is actually a sensor used to pick up chemical warning signals sent by fellow animals in distress, according to a study released in August 2008.

Image © Science/AAAS