What does your cat’s muzzle have to do with your latest cup of wine? We will try to explain this to you.
Do you know what it is Chromatography? This method, which is used to separate the different components of a blend by sorting them according to their speed of travel, is essential in many fields, such as perfumery and oenology. Through this process, the grape grower for example can gather a lot of information about his wine, in particular about the development of its fermentation and therefore its taste.
According to a study published in the journal PLOS Computational BiologyTo make gas chromatography more efficient, science would benefit from the invention of a system inspired by the anatomy of a cat’s nose. Reproducing its action can make it possible to separate the molecules of the gas mixture more efficiently.
In a press release published on June 29, 2023one of the study’s authors, Kai ChowTeacherOtorhinolaryngology At Ohio University, he spoke on the subject: “We know a lot about sight and hearing, and much less about the sense of smell. Our work can lead to a better understanding of the evolution of nasal structures and the functional goals they serve.”
As Discover magazine points out, who obtained the informationThe nasal and respiratory systems of the cat are eminently complex. The air the cat inhales fills a labyrinth of tiny bifurcations, the nasal concha, which cleans and moisturizes it. Only in the second step, air molecules will be able to reach the olfactory region, which is connected toolfactory epithelium – The name given to the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity whose role is to detect unpleasant odors.
Those connections are key. And if humans have it too, they form an infinitely less complex network than cats. Hence the fact that our sense of smell is less efficient than theirs.
Dual management
Through their work, the scientists (from China, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have been able to understand how air currents are managed in a cat’s nose. In fact, two atmospheric flows are managed simultaneously and in parallel. The first passes slowly through a long tube, which makes it possible to sort out the various chemical elements present. The second, which rotates more quickly, is immediately analyzed in order to identify important odors as quickly as possible.
The whole system constitutes a dual detection system that allows the cat to quickly identify the presence of a predator (or target), but also to obtain a large amount of information from a sniffed area.
The study leaders point out that the way mammals’ noses work isn’t all that far off from the nose part of it inner earThe cochlea is a spiral-shaped channel unique to this class of animals. However, the gas phase chromatography currently used is rather comparable to the auditory system of birds or other vertebrates rather than that of mammals: the principle is simply a tube shaped dead end, Refers to the summary of the study.
By simulating this spiral system typical of mammals, especially cats, scientists have determined that they can obtain a chromatograph that is more than a hundred times more efficient than the devices normally used. A godsend for our winemaker who should soon be able to analyze his wines with greater precision. health!
