In the insect world, the male silk moth has the sharpest sense of smell. He is a champion smeller. The feathery antennae of moths contain scent receptors. Male silk moths can inhale and identify a single scent particle from a female more than six miles away. He shows he has detected the presence of his love by walking with a swagger, moving slightly from side to side. His powerful sense of smell has inspired scientists to try and develop an artificial brain based on the moth olfactory receptor gene. One day their findings may be used in scent-detecting robots which in turn can be used to sniff out drug smuggling and chemical weapons.
Moths’ sense of smell drives most of their behaviors. Male moths find females through pheromones, and females locate the ideal place to lay their eggs by following plant odors. “What moths do,” Vickers says, “is predicated on odors.”
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