Olfactory Bulb Detects X-rays

close up photograph of the side of a cat's face

Biological Strategy

AskNature Team

Image: Adél Grőber / Unsplash / Free non-commercial use

Sense Light (Non-visible Spectrum) From the Environment

Living systems interact with each other and with their environments to gain information. Sometimes that information is in the electromagnetic spectrum. Wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum are also called the non-visible spectrum, because humans can’t detect them with the naked eye. These include ultraviolet (UV) light, infrared (IR) light, radio waves, and other wavelengths. Detecting within these spectra requires strategies beyond those used for visible light, so many living systems that depend on these signals have specialized organs to do so. For example, beetles that feed on burned trees have sensory organs that detect infrared radiation emitted by fires, enabling them to quickly locate a burned area.

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Mammals

Class Mammalia (“breast”): Bats, cats, whales, horses, humans

Mammals make up less than 1% of all animals on earth, but they include some of the most well-known species. We know first-hand some of the characteristics that make mammals unique, like having hair, being able to sweat, and producing milk through mammary glands. Another critical shared feature is a set of highly-specialized teeth. Unlike sharks or alligators, for example, whose teeth are generally all the same size and shape, mammals have differently shaped teeth in different areas of the jaws to target specific foods or foraging strategies.

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The sensory system of cats detects X-ray radiation with the olfactory bulb, rather than the eyes.

“In 1965, a team of biologists at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Long Beach, California, performed experiments that seemed to show that cats could detect X rays. In conditioning experiments, cats reacted to five-second exposures of X-ray radiation in order to avoid a mild rebuff. In attempting to pinpoint the body region responsible for this remarkable feat, the researchers found that the olfactory bulb behind the nasal and oral passages was the most responsive region, rather than the eyes.” (Shuker 2001:21)

Last Updated September 21, 2017

References

Book

The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature

Marshall Editions Ltd. | 01/01/1970 | Dr. Karl P. N. Shuker

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Reference

Journal article

Responses of single neurons in the olfactory bulbs of rabbits, dogs, and cats to X-rays

Experientia, 23: 137-138 | 01/02/1967 | Cooper GP; Kimeldorf DJ

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Reference

Book section

Olfactory mediation of immediate x-ray detection

Olfaction and Taste: Proceedings of the Third International Symposium, ed. C. Pfaffmann. pp. 288-298. | 01/01/1969 | Smith JC; Tucker D

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Reference

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