Phones that transmit odors sound like science fiction, but researchers are working on making them real.
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Articles on Smells
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The science of smell is an exciting area of research.
The sense of smell is directly connected to areas of the brain linked to memory and emotions. That is why some smells bring to light memories and feelings we thought we had forgotten.
With the right training, dogs can sniff out more than 90% of COVID cases.
From the archive: using misinformation to fool predators into leaving bird nests alone. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Plus a new technique to protect birds from predators – using fake smells. Listen to episode 10 of The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Not all flowers smell good, to people at least, but their scents are a way to attract pollinators.
The stench was once thought to originate from plants, but scientists have now pin-pointed its true origin.
Hyperosmia is relatively rare, but there are many reasons a person might develop this condition – even temporarily.
Sweaty feet and certain cheeses have something in common that makes them reek – can you guess what it is?
The parts of the brain that get ‘smell signals’ from the nose also do other things, such as storing memories or provoking emotions. That is why some smells can bring back old memories.
A weather expert explains where petrichor – that pleasant, earthy scent that accompanies a storm’s first raindrops – comes from.
Perhaps you’ve noticed something unusual in the bathroom after you consume this healthy spring vegetable. A Speed Read explains there’s two parts to the stinky puzzle: production and perception.
Sound, color and special effects transformed the moviegoing experience. These inventions decidedly did not.
Ten questions. On your marks. Get set. Go.
The question of whether your reaction to asparagus is down to your stomach or your nose is a 300-year-old mystery.
OK, it doesn’t smell great. But skunk cabbage has a unique secret weapon to help it be one of the first plants to emerge from the snow at the end of winter.
After a handshake, we learned this week that we sniff our hands. But why? Hand smells are not all that interesting in themselves. This points to possibilities that you might not want to hear.
Top contributors
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Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, University of Sydney
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Charles W. Fries Professor of Film Studies, Wesleyan University
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Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Washington
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Professor of Psychology, University of Stirling
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Instructional Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University
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Lecturer, Department of Screen Arts & Culture, University of Michigan
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Visiting Academic, Aston Medical School, Aston University
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Senior Lecturer- School of Biomedical Sciences and Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland
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Leo S. Bing Chair in English and American Literature, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Associate Professor of Biology, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
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Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Dublin City University
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Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University
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Professor of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture, Mississippi State University
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Investigador científico en enfermedades neurodegenerativas y Profesor de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy, City, University of London
