Interspecific variation of olfactory preferences in flies, mice, and humans

Abstract

Aiming to unravel interspecific differences in olfactory preferences, we performed comparative studies of odor valence in flies, mice, and humans. Our analysis suggests a model where flies and mice share similar olfactory preferences, but neither species share odor preferences with humans. This model contrasts with a previous study by Mandairon et al., which suggested that the olfactory preferences of mice and humans are similar. A probabilistic examination revealed that underpowered studies can result in spurious significant correlations, which can account for the differences between both studies. Future analyses aimed at dissecting the olfactory preferences across species need to test large numbers of odorants to stress-Test the model proposed here and identify robust associations.