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Rockets Ruin Ozone, Neanderthal Smells, Orca Moms

Curiosity Weekly

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How Did the Denisovans Develop the Ability to Smell?

The Denisovans who existed 30 to 50,000 years ago couldn't really smell flowers. But they were four times better at sensing sulfur than modern humans and three times better at picking up a balsamic scent. Interestingly, they were also better than us at sensing honey. This led the researchers to conclude that every species, human, mammal, or otherwise, evolves odor receptors to maximize a sort of fitness for finding food.

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