Exploring the world using the sense of smell
Exploring the world using the sense of smell

Summary/Abstract: The sense of smell, also known as olfaction, is one of the chemical human senses. This means that sensory stimuli are received by the human body through contact with chemicals. The smell becomes recognizable when the responsible chemical meets certain requirements e.g. it becomes volatile. Chemicals with similar structures can make an impression of radically different aromas. A slight change in the spatial structure or removing one atom from a molecule may be enough to make an odour pleasant. Sometimes, the concentration of the substance decides on the nature of the smell – the same chemical compound can make evoke the smell of flowers or of rotting flesh. As it turns out, the sense of smell also plays an important role in the sense of taste.

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