 Aroma Explorations - Sense of Smell
Wherever you right now, what do you notice first about your surroundings?
Did you take in the visual... the colors and shapes of the objects or environment that surround you? Did you listen for sounds... people's voices or footsteps, the radio, bird song, the wind in the trees, your own breath? Did you breathe in deeply to smell your surroundings? What did you notice?
A cat and a dog nose. How are they alike and different?
Our sense of smell is so much a part of our daily living but is often overlooked unless we are exposed to a strong scent. Once we take in a scent it registers for a few moments then dissipates - we no longer smell it. Think about walking into a kitchen where bread is baking or a pie is in the oven. The aroma is strong and dominates your senses. Stay in the kitchen for a few minutes and you'll find you can no longer smell the bread or pie. This olfactory fatigue is well known to chefs. They step out of the kitchen for a moment to refresh their noses and cleanse their pallet with a sip of water before scent and taste testing food. Why could olfactory fatigue be beneficial?
Sense of smell is closely related to sense of taste. Specialized sensory cells (olfactory sensory neurons) are high up in the nose and connect directly to the brain. Smells reach the sensory cells in two ways: by breaths taken in though the nostrils, and when food is chewed the aroma is taken in through a channel at the back of the throat that connects to the nose. The tongue has flavor receptors to detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory flavors. But, without the sense of smell all the glorious nuances of flavor would be gone!
Interesting Facts
- Dogs are renowned for their ability to detect scents. Some, such as bloodhounds, are used to help find lost hikers by following a scent trail. Dogs can be trained to sniff out specific scents, whether of toxins, a specific compound, or a plant or animal. Because of this they are in service to people in many professions.
- Pigs can sniff out truffles, a very tasty underground fungi, and have assisted truffle hunters for thousands of years.
- Scent is closely tied to memory. Have you ever smelled something that immediately brought up a long-ago pleasant memory?
- Scientists are working to catalog scents. Some are searching for all references to smell in ancient texts and plan to make on online encyclopedia of their findings. Others are trying to capture all the smells on Earth by analyzing the chemical compounds of scents and recreating them.
- Doctors can learn about the health of a patient by paying attention to the smells of their body - perspiration, breath, discharges.
- How we interpret a scent is closely ties to our experiences and how and where we were raised. What may be an especially pleasing scent to you may be revolting to someone else.
- There is a National Sense of Smell Day.
Activities for Children and the Young at Heart
- Go on a Scent Safari - The location can be anywhere - your home, your yard or neighborhood, a grocery store, or a park. Slowly walk the location and stop often to take a deep breath - breathe in for a slow count of five, hold for two counts, exhale for seven. Keep notes that describe all that you were able to smell. Try getting a scent impression the overall area and smelling other things from close range. Words like sweet, musty, dank, earthy, floral, and acrid can help you describe what you sense... what other words come to mind? Go on an outdoor Scent Safari during each season of the year. Compare your notes of each Safari. What season is your favorite by sense of smell?
- Reading Scavenger Hunt - Make a list of scent related words. Pick up your favorite book and read it with scent in mind. Is scent ever described? Did you find any of the scent related words you listed? Try other books.
- Make a list of favorite and least favorite scents. Compare you list with someone else. What do you find in common? Where do you differ?
- Taste and Smell Test - at your next meal give all your food a good sniff, then slowly eat. Are the scent and flavor the same for each food or beverage? Why or why not? If someone else is eating the same meal, discuss the aromas and flavors. Do you use the same words? What do each of you like most.
- Imagine what would happen if you smelled every scent strongly all the time - that there was no such thing as olfactory fatigue. Would it be fun or terrible? Why? Write a short story or poem about your imaginary olfactory adventure.
- Find out which animals have the greatest ability to smell scents. Do all animals have the ability to smell the same scents? Or, do they specialize in specific scents?
- If you have a pet, watch closely how they sniff their food, you, and their surrounds. If you can, compare a cat to a dog.
- Search out books about the sense of smell and scents. To get you started, check out Pee-Yew! The Stinkiest, Smelliest Animals, Insects, and Plants on Earth! by Mike Artell. Before you read it, ask yourself why the worst smells are important to life on Earth.
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