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A large family of nasal receptors combines signals to distinguish countless odours. The figure is taken from National Human Genome Research Institute, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

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Humans smell with about 400 receptor genes

A large family of nasal receptors combines signals to distinguish countless odours Each olfactory neuron carries one type of receptor, and a single odour molecule may trigger several kinds. The brain reads the pattern of activation rather than a single switch. Olfactory receptor genes form the largest gene family in mammals, though many human copies are inactive. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

National Human Genome Research Institute

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Tags: biology, smell, genes

Humans smell with about 400 receptor genes: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A large family of nasal receptors combines signals to distinguish countless odours. The figure is taken from National Human Genome Research Institute, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.