Mountain-dwelling animals may have a worse sense of smell
246d ago
Science
Science Magazine
New research suggests that animals living in high-altitude, cold environments may have a diminished sense of smell. The study, published in a recent scientific journal, posits that impaired olfaction could be an evolutionary adaptation to survive in frigid conditions. Researchers analyzed the olfactory receptor genes of various mountain-dwelling species, finding a significant reduction in the number of functional genes related to smell compared to their lowland counterparts. This reduction could