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The scent of a rose. The aroma of fresh baked bread. The
warning of a skunk.
Depending on your nose, you can tell the difference
between 4,000 and 10,000 smells. But that pales in
comparison to bloodhounds. They smell at least 1,000 times
better than humans.
Humans use odor-detecting areas about the size of a
postage stamp, located high in the nasal passages. Humans
have five to six million smelling cells while rabbits have
100 million olfactory receptors and dogs have 220 million.
You can smell best at about age 8. Your ability to smell
declines as you age. Women can smell better than men. And if
you smoke, you greatly reduce your ability to smell.
What makes up a smell? Odors are tiny molecules of
chemicals from foods, flowers, or whatever is in the air.
Most scents aren't a single molecule but a mixture of
molecules that create a smell.
These molecules ride on the air and you become aware of
"a smell" when the molecules enter your nasal passage and
your receptors begin to "read" the smell. Differently shaped
nerve cells recognize different smells, with each smell
molecule fitting a nerve cell like a lock and key. These
cells then send signals along your olfactory nerve to the
smell center in your brain. This split second process then
lets you know if you smell a rose or a skunk.
Your nose is also an important tool in tasting. About 75
percent of what you taste doesn't come from your taste buds,
it comes from your sense of smell.
For more information about nasal problems and treatments
available at UI Hospitals and Clinics, call UI
Health Access, 319-384-8442, ext. 1004, or 800-777-8442,
ext. 1004.
More information:
Listed above is a Web site that offers additional
information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care
does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the
accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These
links are here for general information only, and should not
be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any
questions, please contact UI
Health Access.
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