Olfaction, the act of smelling, is as primitive as it is sophisticated. The human sense of smell, although only a fraction as sensitive as most other animals', not only warns us of danger and helps bond babies and mothers, but also allows us to...

Commonly known as the sense of smell, olfaction is the sensory process that detects and responds to airborne chemical stimuli. The human sense of smell is very sensitive to certain odourants with detection levels as low as a few parts per trillion...

The act of detecting scent, generally by respiration, transmitting impulses from the mucous membranes in the upper part of the nose via the olfactory nerve to the forebrain, where the information is translated into perceived odor. FIGURE O.1 Using...

Dealing with the sense of...

Olfaction (also known as olfactics) refers to the sense of smell. This sense is mediated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertebrates, and, by analogy, sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates. For air-breathing animals, the...

Woe to those who have a cold on Thursday. If you can't smell the roasting turkey, it just won't taste as good. And if you think the brussels sprouts are bitter, well, blame how many taste buds you were born...