Does bacteria have a sense of smell?
Yes! Bacteria does have a sense of smell.
Scientists have found a "nose" on bacteria that is able to sense airborne smells, such as ammonia. This means they are capable of ‘olfaction’ which means they can sense volatile chemicals in the air produced by rival bacteria.
This is the first sign of a "nose" on bacteria that can detect potential competitors.
This means that bacteria are capable of 4 out of 5 of the human senses: sight, touch, taste, and smell. Bacteria is one of the smallest organisms and to discover a sense of smell means that this is a chain to how we developed out sense of smell to detect other living organisms.
The research provides a possible link in discovering how bacteria communicates–which means preventing infections and death.
