Smelling Something Dangerous May Put The Immune System on High Alert

One of the most studied organisms on Earth has a nose for danger that scientists are just beginning to understand.

The mere whiff of dangerous bacteria is enough to put the immune system of a roundworm on high alert.

Like humans smelling 'off' food from the fridge, the olfactory neurons of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, may serve as an early warning sign for bad food.

Instead of stopping the worm from eating the pathogen, however, the stink of harmful bacteria prepares the worm's gut for the worst.

Source:

Olfaction regulates peripheral mitophagy and mitochondrial function

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adn0014