Scent information from the two nostrils leads to two types of neural activity.

When the scent of morning coffee wafts past the nose, the brain encodes which nostril it enters, new research shows.

Integrating information from both nostrils might help us to identify the odour.

A region of the brain called the piriform cortex, which spans the brain’s two hemispheres, is known to receive and process information about scents. However, scientists were unsure whether the two sides of the piriform cortex react to smells in unison or independently.

The results were published today in Current Biology.

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