In 1991, Buck and Axel published a landmark study in Cell for work that was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize. The identification of the olfactory receptors as the largest family of GPCRs catapulted olfaction into mainstream neurobiology. This BenchMark revisits Buck's experimental innovation and its surprising success at the time.
Keywords: GPCRs; PCR; history of science; odor receptors; olfaction; philosophy of science; scientific discovery; scientific narratives.
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