Unexpected Discovery Bubbles Up

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When kids blow bubbles, it’s usually for fun. But neuroscientist Kenneth Catania discovered that the star-nosed moles he studies blow bubbles as they swim to smell underwater objects. “This came as a total surprise because the common wisdom is that mammals can’t smell underwater,” says the associate professor of biological sciences. 

Catania, who received a $500,000 “genius grant” from the John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2006, studies odd-looking mammals—including the star nosed mole—for clues about the workings of the human brain.