3 ms·

Thanks to your link, I discovered this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_theory_of_olfaction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_theory_of_olfaction

Thanks to your link, I discovered this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_theory_of_olfaction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_theory_of_olfaction Had no idea it's just a theory. I've lived many years "knowing" that we detect smells due to their shapes.

Duller-Finite 5y ago
This paper is the first structure of any odorant receptor-ligand interaction. There's currently no equivalent structure for mammalian odorant receptors to validate the docking theory, but it's likely correct.