Blue light smells like bananas — if you’re a genetically modified fruit fly.
Scientists in Germany figured out how to modify fruit fly larvae so they can “smell” light, encouraging them to move toward it, rather than away from it like they normally would. Before you get excited about actually smelling Skittles when you see a rainbow, however, bear in mind that the fruit fly larvae are much easier to manipulate than humans.
The work involves activating single receptor neurons out of 28 olfactory neurons. All the olfactory neurons were capable of producing a protein that is activated by light. The researchers had to choose which one to make light-sensitive.
They found they could either activate cells which would normally register repulsive odors and make the flies go away, or they could activate cells that respond to attractive odors like banana, marzipan or glue. Those odors are all present in rotting fruit, which attracts fruit flies.
PopSci (Thanks Chris)
This man would disagree. To him; blue light sounds like genetically modified fruit flies:
http://gizmodo.com/5555412/meet-neil-a-real+life-cyborg-who-hears-colors
But….. why?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xlGtFArtEIc/SO78RLEk9ZI/AAAAAAAAAAM/bJtEK5Nv_HM/S220-h/Fry-half-blue-transparent.png
*sniff* hey, what smells of blue?
I now have a crazy craving for a blue banana.
well, no wonder miss molly was rockin in the house of blue lites–gimme dat banana!
This is a short article from this weeks new scientist:
That light smells great
Who’d confuse blue light with the aroma of rotting fruit? By adding a light-sensitive protein to neurons triggered by the smell, researchers made fruit fly larvae do just that, and the larvae crawled towards a bright blue light (Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2010.00027)