US EditionHarvard Scientists Create First Detailed Map of Smell Receptors
The map shows 1,100 receptor types form overlapping stripes in mouse noses and matches smell maps in the brain, researchers said.
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Harvard Medical School professor Sandeep Datta and colleagues published findings in Cell revealing that mouse smell receptors form precise horizontal stripes, mapping over 1,100 receptor types.
- For 30 years, researchers taught that mouse olfactory receptor choice was essentially random within broad zones; Johan Lundstr, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute, noted this study overturns that foundational model.
- Using single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, the team analyzed 5.5 million neurons across more than 300 mice, pinpointing the exact spatial location of each receptor type within the nasal cavity.
- Researchers confirmed the nasal spatial map corresponds directly with "smell maps" in the brain's olfactory bulb, where a gradient of retinoic acid guides each neuron to express the correct receptor based on its "latitude."
- These findings could support future therapies for anosmia, a condition linked to depression and safety risks, as Datta aims to translate the receptor map to human tissue and determine the precise band order.
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30 Articles
First detailed ‘smell maps’ reveal how noses track odours
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Harvard scientists create first detailed map of smell receptors
For most of us, the sense of smell is an integral part of everyday life; it plays a critical role in providing information about our surroundings, alerting us to potential dangers, enhancing our sense of taste, and evoking emotions and memories.
Scientists create first-ever 'smell map' of the nose's smell receptors
For most of us, the sense of smell is an integral part of everyday life; it plays a critical role in providing information about our surroundings, alerting us to potential dangers, enhancing our sense of taste, and evoking emotions and memories. Working in mice, a research team has now created the first detailed map of how the thousand-plus types of smell receptors in the nose are organized. The team discovered that unlike what scientists had lo…
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