Die Riechschwelle des Seidenspinners (The Olfactory Threshold of the Silkworm Moth)
Silk moths detect single pheromone molecules—170 molecules trigger full mating behavior, defining the physical limit of chemical sensing.
One molecule. That's all it takes. Kaissling and Priesner demonstrated that male silk moths detect single molecules of bombykol, operating at the theoretical physical limit of chemical sensing. Their 17,000 olfactory hairs capture and process signals so efficiently that just 170 molecules trigger full mating behavior—a 10⁻⁵ microgram threshold that makes bloodhounds look deaf.
This represents the ultimate benchmark for signal detection: operating at physical limits while competitors operate at comfortable thresholds. In business, the lesson isn't about signal strength—it's about detection architecture. Customer feedback loops, competitive intelligence, market sensing: these systems often fail not because signals are absent but because detection thresholds are set too high. The silk moth doesn't wait for overwhelming evidence; it responds to the minimum signal that could indicate opportunity. Organizations that build similarly sensitive detection systems gain first-mover advantage by responding to weak signals their competitors dismiss as noise.
Key Findings from Kaissling & Priesner (1970)
- Single molecule of bombykol can activate olfactory receptor neurons—operating at theoretical physical limits
- Just 170 molecules (10⁻⁵ microgram) trigger full mating behavioral response
- Male antennae contain 17,000 olfactory hairs optimized for pheromone capture
- 80% of molecules contacting antenna are captured by sensory hairs—remarkable efficiency
- Foundational study establishing insects as model systems for extreme sensory sensitivity