If you burn your finger,________ transmit pain-triggering signals to your central nervous system.

A) olfactory receptor cells
B) vestibular sacs
C) nociceptors
D) hair cells

Nociceptors are specialized nerve endings that detect harmful or potentially damaging stimuli, such as heat, cold, or chemicals, and transmit pain signals to the central nervous system. When you burn your finger, nociceptors are activated and send signals to the brain, causing you to feel pain. Olfactory receptor cells are responsible for detecting different odors, while vestibular sacs are involved in maintaining balance and spatial orientation. Hair cells are responsible for detecting sound and motion in the inner ear. Thus, only option C, nociceptors, is the correct answer.