Navigated to Smells Humans Are Ridiculously Good At Detecting

Smells Humans Are Ridiculously Good At Detecting

January 13
40 mins

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Episode Description

Right now, you’re breathing in. As you inhale, air rushes past millions of sensory receptors, activating the part of your brain responsible for smell. And yet, there’s one scent you’ll never notice: the very nose you’re breathing through, because humans are smell blind to themselves.


Today, Professor Hannah Fry and VSauce's Michael Stevens explore the mechanics of perinasal chemosensation, otherwise known as smell.
They explore how the Victorians sidelined the sense, why we’ve underestimated it ever since, and whether tuning out most of odours our noses detect is a flaw, or a powerful strategy that's central to survival

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Video Producer: Adam Thornton

Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell

Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott

Producer: Becki Hills

Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter

Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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