Josefina del Mármol’s research aims to elucidate the structural and molecular mechanisms underlying the sense of smell. Across the tree of life, animals rely on detecting and discriminating between millions of odorant compounds present in the environment to guide complex behaviors – from a baby recognizing her mother’s scent to a mosquito locating her next bloodmeal. The del Mármol lab uses structural biology, electrophysiology, and neurogenetics to understand how olfactory receptors translate the chemical complexity of the environment into interpretable neuronal signals that enable robust odor-driven behavior.