The Nose Knows: How the Olfactory Influences Conduct: ‘Olfaction, says neuroscientist Cori Bargmann, University of California, San Francisco, holds a key that might unlock the different strategies involved in assembling complex behaviors. Many scientists view olfaction research as a way of gaining understanding not only about the sense of smell, but also about the biology of behavior. According to neurobiologist Stuart Firestein, Columbia University, some envision the olfactory system as a model for signal transduction, including receptor-ligand interactions, modulation by second messengers, ion channel gating, and the long-term mechanisms of adaptation and desensitization.’ The Scientist