Linda Buck is an American biologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2004) for her research on "olfactory receptors and the organization of the olfactory system." Using the method developed by Linda Buck's laboratory, it was shown that the olfactory system uses a combinatorial scheme for encoding odors. She is a graduate of the Department of Physiology and Microbiology at The George Washington University, where she has been teaching since 2003.
Embedded Files
She also works in the Department of Science at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Linda Buck's lab investigates how aromas and pheromones detected by receptors in the nose are transformed and interpreted by the brain. She and her colleagues are also investigating the mechanisms underlying aging and increased longevity.
In 2004, Linda Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize "for her research on olfactory receptors and the organization of the olfactory system".
Scientists have discovered a family of genes that generate proteins that capture odors. Humans and mammals can detect thousands of different tastes and odors. They act like pheromones, stimulating certain chemical or physiological reactions on receptors. The resolution of the olfactory system is enormous. Buck used a combination of molecular and genetic tools to investigate how mammals detect such a vast combination of molecular and genetic tools. First, a number of receptors were identified at the molecular level, and then the connection of the receptors to the brain was investigated.
The results of the research explain how 1000 receptors can distinguish between tens of thousands of different scents. Buck and her colleagues also showed that even small changes in the chemical structure of an odorant lead to the activation of different combinations of receptors. That's why the smell of octanol brings to mind citrus flavors, while the smell of a similar compound, octanoic acid, is more like the smell of sweat. It was also found that a larger amount of a substance affects a larger set of receptors. This explains the variations in the perception of the same substance if its concentrations vary significantly, for example, indole at high concentrations smells like rot, while its light breath is felt as a fragrance of flowers.
An important quote from a scientist: "As a woman in science, I sincerely hope that my receiving a Nobel Prize will send a message to young women everywhere that the doors are open to them and that they should follow their dreams."
(«As a woman in science, I sincerely hope that my receiving a Nobel Prize will send a message to young women everywhere that the doors are open to them and that they should follow their dreams»)
Google Sites
Report abuse