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Odotope Theory, also known as Weak-Shape Theory, is a leading neurophysiological theory of how the sense of smell functions. The model is analogous to a molecular Braille: it is propsed that any number of the 347 different protein-based smell receptors in the nose binds to only certain parts of a smellable molecule, and thus a few hundreds of different receptors can, through combinatorial explosion, theoretically recognize an infinite number of distinct smells.