The Science of Smell

We take smell for granted. When cookies come out of the oven,

When we pass by a pile of dirty clothes, one never thinks to trace the connection between these events and the processes of our respiratory system.

First comes the nose, the entry point into our system. Deep inside the middle of your face is the nasal cavity, which then leads to the back of the throat, separated from the inside of your mouth by a palate - the roof of your mouth.

You inhale..air enters the nasal passages and goes to the nasal cavity. From thence the air (carrying the scent) plunges down the back of your throat into the trachea, or windpipe, on the way to your lungs.

OK you say, I get it..but where does our ’sense’ of smell generate? Up on the roof  of the nasal cavity is the ‘olfactory epithelium’. Olfactory is a fancy word that has to do with smelling. It contains  special receptors that are sensitive to odor molecules that travel through the air. When the smell receptors

Are stimulated, signals travel along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb. This little jewel is underneath the front of your brain..just above the nasal cavity. The ‘O’ bulb sends signals to other parts of the brain to be interpreted as a smell you may recognize, like the cookies or the dirty clothes.

Identifying smells is one way your brain tells you about your environment. Burning toast?! Run to turn off the toaster. Smell a delicious perfume..you’ll be led by your snoz to it’s source.  Our ‘O’ bulb is always on alert, enriching our lives.

And here’s the kicker. Without your nose, those cookies wouldn’t hardly taste at all. Need proof? Take a bite of one - then pinch your nose and take another bite. Notice the difference?!  Food for thought..through scent.