The evolutionary origins of the three major families of chemoreceptors in arthropods—the
odorant receptor (OR), gustatory receptor (GR), and ionotropic receptor (IR) families …

Insects detect odorants primarily using odorant receptors (OR) housed in the dendritic
membrane of olfactory sensory neurons (OSN). Pioneering studies indicated that insects …

Olfactory systems must detect and discriminate amongst an enormous variety of odorants.
To contend with this challenge, diverse species have converged on a common strategy in …

Female mosquitoes are major vectors of human disease and the most dangerous are those
that preferentially bite humans. A 'domestic'form of the mosquito Aedes aegypti has evolved …

Around 150 million years ago, eusocial termites evolved from within the cockroaches, 50
million years before eusocial Hymenoptera, such as bees and ants, appeared. Here, we …

The evolution of animal behaviour is poorly understood,. Despite numerous correlations
between interspecific divergence in behaviour and nervous system structure and function …

Female mosquitoes of some species are generalists and will blood-feed on a variety of
vertebrate hosts, whereas others display marked host preference. Anopheles gambiae and …

Every year, approximately 700,000 people die from complications associated with etiologic
disease agents transmitted by mosquitoes. While insecticide-based vector control strategies …

Among the many wonders of nature, the sense of smell of the fly Drosophila melanogaster
might seem, at first glance, of esoteric interest. Nevertheless, for over a century, the 'nose'of …

Genetic approaches in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, have led to a major triumph in
the field of sensory biology—the discovery of multiple large families of sensory receptors …