A stand-in 'nose' may help people with anosmia to smell certain odors

Smell retraining can help people with anosmia learn to smell again

Olfactory training, which involves repeatedly smelling a selection of strong odors, teaches your brain to familiarize itself with experiencing smells over a lengthy period, typically multiple months. This can be useful for patients who lose their sense of smell for myriad reasons.

Read the academic article explaining how ancient smells can be dissected and recreated

This paper explores how biomolecular data on past scents can be teased out and then transformed into olfactory museum experiences, adding another component to our understanding of archaeology.

Efforts to create disease-sniffing capabilities for phones still can't match dogs

In this video, a scientist explains why dogs remain leaders in olfactory capabilities, outpacing technology. Scientists have attempted to create artificial "e-noses" for phones to detect early signs of disease, but so far they have not been successful.

Humans may be able to distinguish more than one trillion scents

That's according to one estimate published in 2014. This figure far exceeds earlier estimates of a human smelling ceiling around 10,000 odors. The newer figure is derived from experiments in which volunteers agreed to sniff varying scents. Researchers mixed odor components and had volunteers sniff the brews to detect subtle scent differences. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Loss of sense of smell is a common symptom of COVID-19 infection

In 2020, researchers discovered why this occurs. The virus that causes this infection attacks the cells that support smell-detecting neurons. Once infection clears, the sense of smell typically returns, though the exact timeline for that differs by patient. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Humans can't smell the inside of their nose due to olfactory fatigue

Once a person is accustomed to a specific odor, their neurons have trouble continuing to respond to that smell because of that familiarity. That's why humans may not notice when their house smells like trash until they leave the house and then return to it.

Humans can track smells on the ground quite well—our ability to crawl is a limiting factor

As part of a scientific bet, neurobiology researchers dragged a chocolate bar across the grass and sought to see if a human could track it—she could. This led to a more in-depth experiment on human olfactory capabilities and behavior when other senses were blocked.

A super-sniffer smelled her husband's Parkinson's disease years ahead of symptoms

She discovered she could smell diseases, including Parkinson's, tuberculosis, Alzheimer's, cancer, and diabetes. Working with an analytic chemist, she's learned she can smell subtle changes in odor—ones that smell consistent across individuals with the same disorder—even before symptoms manifest.

A dog's central sniffing organ is many times bigger than a human's

The olfactory epithelium, located high up within the human nose, is home to millions of olfactory neurons. A dog's olfactory epithelium is much larger—and has more neurons—than a human's, which helps to explain the animal's superior sniffing ability.

Hereditary hyperosmia is the official term for being a super-smeller

Some sniffers with this rare trait may be more sensitive to pleasant smells, while others may be more attuned to unpleasant scents. Some research suggests that certain genetic mutations are associated with a heightened sense of smell.

Scent is a stronger memory trigger than sight

Smell is imbued with more emotion than visual memories, and research indicates that smell triggers a significantly greater effect on amygdala activation. Scientists believe these powerful responses occur partly because smell signals bypass the thalamus and go directly to the amygdala and hippocampus, brain areas involved in emotion and memory.

1 in 15 adults over age 40 experience phantom odors

This phenomenon was measured in a 2018 study that examined the prevalence and risk factors for phantom odor perception. Older adults were less likely to experience these phantom odors as they age, just as their overall sense of smell declines. Women are more likely than men to perceive phantom odors.

On average, people smell worse if they're sick

For a small 2014 research study, a panel was tasked with sniffing the smelly t-shirts of people who had been injected with a compound known to activate the immune system and those of controls without the shot. It found that those who were acting as if unwell (due to the injection) generally smelled worse. Subsequent work found that those who sniffed unpleasant odors had a mild immune response of their own—perhaps to protect them from disease. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

How bitter taste receptors help guard against infection

Receptors for "bitter" tastes evolved to detect potentially harmful plant chemicals, such as nicotine. The receptors also trigger bacteria-fighting responses, including waving hairlike projections to bat away bacteria, ordering the release of bacteria-killing nitric oxide, and calling for antimicrobial protein reinforcements.

Nasal hairs, called vibrissae, help protect the body from particulate matter and other dirt

The nose structure plays a key role in filtering air before it enters our lungs and makes sure that the air temperature and humidity are also suitable for the body.

If hearing is damaged, the brain may amplify remaining sounds, perhaps causing tinnitus

Recent mouse brain and ear imaging revealed that the creature compensates for hearing loss by sending signals to the cochlea in the inner ear. This triggers nerve fibers in the inner ear to increase volume and become more sensitive. Learning about these boosted-sensitivity messages from the brain to the cochlea—if they're similar in humans—might help explain tinnitus and fuel experimental approaches to turn down that sensitivity.

We can sense touch even through a tool

Research published in 2019 indicates that the same brain regions involved in sensing touch on the body also process it when humans use a tool to do the touching. Essentially, it's acting as a sensory extension of the body. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

How does the body know where it is in space?

Close your eyes and touch your nose. How did you know where your nose was? How could you tell where your hand was? That's proprioception, the sense that keeps your brain apprised of the body's position and movement. This article explains how this sense works, what happens when people don't have it, and what we know about it.

Using brain implants to restore vision

Several companies are attempting to create brain-computer interfaces that skip over retinas and optic nerves to allow visual input to go straight to the brain, potentially restoring some sight to the blind. Clinical trial findings suggest restored sight is sparse and manifests differently than a sighted person might expect, appearing as specks of "light" clusters called phosphenes to help differentiate one's surroundings.

Odor blockers use nonpolar oils to trap smelly polar molecules

In the case of feces, gut bacteria produce compounds such as skatole and hydrogen sulfide, which the brain registers as unpleasant. Because oils do not dissolve in water, they can be used to create a layer on the surface that prevents smelly compounds underwater from escaping into the air.

Researchers are investigating if nanoparticle treatments could combat allergies

In rodent work, Northwestern University’s Evan Scott (now at the University of Virginia) and his colleagues have been trying to attack allergies with specially designed nanoparticles—miniscule lab-made objects that can penetrate cells. They stud the nanoparticles with a tiny bit of the allergen specific to the allergy (i.e. cashew protein for cashew allergy) and antibodies that shut down allergic response processes.

Examining self-diagnosed synesthesia

A growing number of people on social media claim to have a perceptual condition that lets them smell colors, see music, or taste sounds. But do they really?

Artificial goose bumps could theoretically be used for information storage

Inspired by how fine hairs stand on the skin with goose bumps, researchers have recently created artificial skin that raises artificial goose bumps when exposed to a laser. This type of precise, localized, and controllable system could potentially fuel later development of programmable machines that could be used for information storage.

Synthetic pheromones may protect coral reefs by attracting their predators

Researchers in Australia and Japan have developed these nontoxic chemicals to attract crown-of-thorns starfish, which consume corals that make up the Great Barrier Reef. As of 2026, synthetic pheromones have been shown to be effective in lab trials, and future field trials will attempt to lure starfish into areas for mass removal.

Mosquito necroprinting uses an insect's mouthpart as the printer nozzle

Mosquitoes are abundant, and their nozzles are 32-100 times cheaper to harvest than to create from scratch out of metal or glass. By coating the organic nozzle to increase its strength, researchers are employing necroprinting to create tiny structures at better resolutions than commercial alternatives.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

When a Paris department store hesitated to sell Estée Lauder's perfume, she 'accidentally' broke a bottle, causing the smell to spread throughout the store and shoppers to start asking to buy the scent.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

This poison ivy knowledge quiz—accompanied by photos of the plant's varied forms—may help you identify this common rash-inducing growth.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'