It’s clear that genes, receptors and neurons all play a role in detecting odors. But much of how we make sense of what we sniff remains mysterious. A neuroscientist explains. By Daniela Hirschfeld / ...

When we catch a whiff of perfume or indulge in a scented candle, we are smelling much more than Floral Fantasy or Lavender Vanilla. We are actually detecting odor molecules that enter our nose and ...

The smell in the laboratory was new. It was, in the language of the business, tenacious: for more than a week, the odour clung to the paper on which it had been blotted. To researcher Alex Wiltschko, ...

Some research suggests that “olfactory training” — practicing to improve your olfaction, or sense of smell — can actually improve your cognitive abilities. So in the interest of self-improvement, I ...

Spring has sprung — and in many parts of the world, you can smell it. The air might smell sweeter, with notes of budding florals and pollen. But there are complex parts of the scent, too, more ...

When Thomas Hummel gets a whiff of an unripe, green tomato, he finds himself in his childhood home in Bavaria. Under the tilted ceilings of the bedroom that he shared with his two older brothers, ...