A Spectroscopic Mechanism for Primary Olfactory Reception
Abstract
A novel theory of primary olfactory reception is described. It proposes that olfactory receptors respond not to the shape of the molecules but to their vibrations. It differs from previous vibrational theories (Dyson, Wright) in providing a detailed and plausible mechanism for biological transduction of molecular vibrations: inelastic electron tunnelling. Elements of the tunnelling spectroscope are identified in putative olfactory receptors and their associated G-protein. Means of calculating electron tunnelling spectra of odorant molecules are described. Several examples are given of correlations between tunnelling spectrum and odour in structurally unrelated molecules. As predicted, molecules of very similar shape but differing in vibrations smell different. The most striking instance is that of pure acetophenone and its fully deuterated analogue acetophenone-d8, which smell different despite being identical in structure. This fact cannot, it seems, be explained by structure-based theories of odour. The evidence presented here suggests instead that olfaction, like colour vision and hearing, is a spectral sense.
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Warm quantum effects have been shown in biological systems including bird-brain navigation, ion channels, sense of smell, DNA, protein folding, and biological water.
“Further research has shown warm quantum effects in bird-brain navigation [128], ion channels [129], sense of smell [130], DNA [131], protein folding [132], and biological water [133].”
From Consciousness in the universe (2014) · cites this paper as [130]
Warm quantum effects have been discovered in bird brain navigation, ion channels, sense of smell, DNA, protein folding, and biological water.
“Warm quantum effects have also been discovered in bird brain navigation [128], ion channels [129], sense of smell [130], DNA [131], protein folding [132], and biological water [133].”
From Consciousness in the universe (2014) · cites this paper as [130]
There is recent experimental evidence supporting the possibility that quantum effects play a role in the action of anaesthetics.
“While this has yet to be attempted there has been some recent experimental evidence that supports the possibility that quantum effects play a role in the action of anaesthetics.”
From Quantum effects in the brain: A review (2020) · cites this paper as [94]
In 1996, the vibrational theory of olfaction was revived through the proposal that protein-coupled receptors measure molecular vibrations using inelastic electron tunnelling rather than responding to molecular keys fitting molecular locks by shape alone.
“In 1996, the theory was revived through the proposal that protein-coupled receptors are measuring molecular vibrations using inelastic electron tunnelling rather than responding to molecular keys fitting molecular locks, working by shape alone [110].”
From The future of quantum biology (2018) · cites this paper as [110]
According to the vibrational theory of olfaction, an electron will tunnel from a donor to acceptor site only when the energy difference between these sites is matched by the vibrational energy of the odourant.
“According to this theory, an electron will tunnel from a donor to acceptor site only when the energy difference between these sites is matched by the vibrational energy of the odourant.”
From The future of quantum biology (2018) · cites this paper as [110]
Quantum biology has been benefitting from refinement of experimental tools that are beginning to provide direct access to observation of quantum dynamics in biological systems.
“In recent years, quantum biology too has been benefitting considerably from the refinement of experimental tools that are beginning to provide direct access to the observation of quantum dynamics in biological systems [11-14]”
From Vibrations, quanta and biology (2013) · cites this paper as [13]
The phonon antenna principle is sufficiently general to provide a mechanism that can support the long-lasting oscillatory features observed in ultrafast laser spectroscopy and explain key aspects of olfaction.
“More importantly, this principle is sufficiently general to provide a mechanism that can support the surprisingly long-lasting oscillatory features observed in recent ultra-fast laser spectroscopy experiments [11-14] and explain key aspects of the dynamics that may underlie the process olfaction.”
From Vibrations, quanta and biology (2013) · cites this paper as [13]
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- Authors
- Turin, L.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Turin, Luca
- ORCID
- Turin, Luca
- Venue
- Chemical Senses
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1996
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 773-791
- ISSN
- 0379-864X (ISSN-L)
- 1464-3553
- OpenAlex
- W2139444512
- Cited by
- 388
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 1.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Chemical Senses (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Office of Naval Research
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Advanced Chemical Sensor Technologies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
- Keywords
- olfaction, olfactory receptors, vibrational modes, olfactory transduction, G proteins
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acid Sequence, Electron Transport, Molecular Sequence Data, Odorants, Smell, Stereoisomerism, Structure-Activity Relationship, Vibration, Molecular Structure, Olfactory Receptor Neurons, Receptors, Odorant, GTP-Binding Proteins
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