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How Do People's Sense of Smell Work?

This Science Minute was researched and written by Corey E., Ithaca.

Have you ever been delighted to smell that beautiful scent of your favorite food as you walk in the door? How exactly do you smell that? Gas molecules in the air are detected by small receptors that are located in your nose, and they only work in liquid, like mucus. These receptors then send signals to the olfactory bulb, a pea-sized part of your brain associated with smell, telling you what it smells like.

The sense of smell is very important. Smell can warn us of dangers, like fire or rotten food. Did you know taste is mostly smell? If it weren’t for smell, that lemonade wouldn’t taste half as terrific.

Every person has his or her own smell. Some animals that don’t have great eyesight use their sense of smell to detect their surroundings. They can identify other animals, like their babies, just by smelling them.

You thinks dogs smelling fear is just a myth, right? Wrong. Different emotions, like fear, can make you give off different odors. Studies show that people can tell the difference of odor in people watching sad and happy movies. Memory is connected to smell also. Different scents can trigger different memories.

As you can see, even if it doesn’t seem so great, smell is a very important sense.