| Abstract |
Olfaction is vital to most animals. The mechanisms of odor discrimination have been studied in a multidisciplinary framework, including biochemistry, molecular biology, neurophysiology, theoretical biology. However, the mechanical aspects remain less explored. This study examines the multi-scaled hydrodynamic principles of olfaction of sharks, including passive continuous sampling, chromatographic effects due to the laminar flow in the lamellate nasal cavity, as well as the potential “somatotopic map” “stereo-senses” of olfaction, to understand how they detect locate distant preys while swimming. Biological strategies (functioning mechanisms) abstracted from our results can be translated biomimicry design concepts to inspire future design of biomimetic chemical detection devices with features of continuous sampling, chromatography, even dynamic stereo-sensing. |
