Harilanto Razafindrazaka, an anthropologist at IAST, has recently been awarded the prestigious A*Midex grant for a year. The grant will support her research on olfactory perception of « Alarm Signal Odors » (ASO). Olfactory perceptions contribute to our survival when we detect these dangerous odors (e.g.: smoke, rotten food…).

At the same time, some individuals (eg: coroners...) and populations (some Malagasy and Indonesian) are able to turn off these “warning signals”, at least temporarily, so Razafindrazaka is putting together at team of researchers to understand the causes and mechanisms of these particular perception abilities. How these people respond to intense odors of decaying corpses comparing to non regularly exposed groups.