The rats' sense of smell works in a similar way to processing sound in stereo, allowing them to pinpoint the location of an odor within a fraction of a second.
Walla news, news agencies
Rats can home in on smells in a similar way to how stereo processing works for sounds. Indian scientists discovered that 90% of the neurons linked to the sense of smell of the rodents react differently to odors coming from the right and left.
In the study, published in Science magazine, the researchers say that the rats were able to accurately locate the source of a certain smell after only two breaths. Raghab Rajab from the University of Agricultural Sciences said that for the rats, "each sniff is a complete and clear picture of the world of smell, including the identity of the smell and its location."
The BBC reported that during the study, the researchers made laboratory rats stick their noses out through holes in their cages, and stimulated their sense of smell with sprays, which were sprayed from left and right. Every time the rats recognized whether the odor was coming from the right or the left and licked the corresponding tube, right or left, they received a reward - sweetened water - through that tube.
The rats were able to identify the source of the smell accurately within 50 milliseconds. The researchers said that the rats' sense of smell is an evolutionary advantage: it allows them to locate food and predators quickly and accurately.
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