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HOW DOES THE SENSE OF SMELL WORK

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HOW DOES THE SENSE OF SMELL WORK

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The sense of smell works perfect compared to other senses. Because it works so well, it is a the dominant sense in animals and no big brain is needed to judge if the sensation is real or not. For example eyes sense stuff that are really illusions at times and the brain works that out.

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Odorants, which are molecules with specific qualities, are sensed by chemoreceptors in the olfactory epithelium. This lies in the nasal cavity, and contains three kinds of cells- the ciliated sensory neurons (which contain the chemoreceptors), supporting cells (Bowman’s glands, which produce mucous bathing the cells) and basal cells (which regularly divide and replace the sensory neurons). What happens when an odorant is recognized by its specific receptor is a series of intracellular events. The receptors themselves belong to the “7 pass” family which have G proteins attached. (These receptors are known as GPCRs, or G protein coupled receptors, and are involved in many other systems in the body such as taste, vision, and hormones). G proteins, when activated, go on to activate an enzyme called adenylyl cyclase, which converts ATP (adenosine triphosphate, which is a form of energy used by the body) into cAMP. cAMP is known as a second messenger (the first messenger is the odorant molec

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On one level, the workings of your sniffer are pretty straightforward. Odor molecules have a specific shape. When they enter the nose, if those shapes match up with surface proteins on odor-sensing neurons (about 10 million of them, with over 1,000 configurations) the neuron fires. But at levels beyond that, it gets much more complicated, involving subtle mixes of chemicals, the ways that proteins bind together, how long they stick to receptors, genetics, and more. “Not smelling” may seem like a joke, but 2-3 percent of the population is “anosmic” — having little or no sense of smell. About 15% of the population has some form of “odor blindness” — not being able to smell certain things that other people can smell. And since about 90% of what people perceive as “taste” is actually produced by smell (hold your nose and eat a piece of chocolate – it doesn’t taste very chocolatey at all!) a lack of ability to smell can become a real quality-of-life issue.

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The sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than any other sense. The sense of smell acts mainly on a subconscious level because the olfactory nerves are connected to the primitive part of the brain called the limbic system (originally known as the rhinencephalon-“smell brain”). The olfactory nerve can only be reached directly through the nose. That is why fragrance creates an instant bodily reaction in the brain as the breathing process takes scent through the nose right into the limbic system. That is where the olfactory memories are stored. Every one has their own personal connection to every smell. Smells, moods, and short term and long term memory are all linked and stored in the limbic system. With every breath we smell. When we come in contact with an aroma our subconscience receives and reacts to it even before we are conscious of it. The sense of smell shuts off after about fifteen or twenty minutes. At that point you need to take a break and get some fresh air. When a p

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Smell is a very direct sense. In order for you to smell something, molecules from that thing have to make it to your nose. Everything you smell, therefore, is giving off molecules — whether it is bread in the bakery, onions, perfume, a piece of fruit or whatever. Those molecules are generally light, volatile (easy to evaporate) chemicals that float through the air into your nose. A piece of steel has no smell because nothing evaporates from it — steel is a non-volatile solid. At the top of your nasal passages behind your nose, there is a patch of special neurons about the size of a postage stamp. These neurons are unique in that they are out in the open where they can come into contact with the air. They have hair-like projections called cilia that increase their surface area. An odor molecule binds to these cilia to trigger the neuron and cause you to perceive a smell. Humans can distinguish more than 10,000 different smells (odorants), which are detected by specialized olfactory re

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