Special Cells Alerted By Irritating Smells, NIH-Funded Study Finds

If you cook, you know. Chop an onion and you risk crying over your cutting board as a burning sensation overwhelms your eyes and nose. Scientists do not know why certain chemical odors, like onion, ammonia and paint thinner, are so highly irritating, but new research in mice has uncovered an unexpected role for specific nasal cavity cells.

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Filed under: Ear, Nose and Throat on March 15th, 2008