The ability of an organism or cell to detect, receive, and respond to chemical stimuli.
From chemo- (relating to chemistry) + receptivity (from Latin receptivus, meaning 'able to receive'). This term emerged in the 20th century as biologists studied how organisms sense chemicals in their environment.
Chemoreceptivity is why bloodhounds can track criminals by smell and why fish detect a drop of blood in an entire swimming pool—their cells are literally wired to pick up microscopic chemical signals.
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