Olfaction: Receptor Diversity and Odor Coding
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Olfactory receptors, each responding to specific odorant molecules, combine in overlapping patterns so a limited set of receptor types can encode thousands of distinct smells.
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Coffee and chocolate activate overlapping but distinct receptor combinations, so each smells recognizably different despite shared receptor types.
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Olfactory signals reach the cortex directly, unlike nearly every other sense, which is routed through the thalamus first.