This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°948, dated February 2026.
By combining an artificial nose that detects odor molecules with an intranasal electrical stimulator, French researchers affiliated with the CNRS have enabled patients who have lost their sense of smell to detect – and sometimes differentiate – odors.
Each scent detected by the artificial nose triggers a specific pattern
The stimulator activates a sensory system separate from the sense of smell, dedicated to sensations of heat, cold, tingling, or irritation. Each odor captured by the artificial nose thus triggers a specific pattern producing a perceptible sensation.
The results obtained were presented in the journal Science Advances.
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