The Rest Is Science Why Can't You Smell The Inside Of Your Nose?
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Jan 13, 2026 Explore why we can't smell our own noses and the fascinating concept of olfactory fatigue. Delve into the Victorian bias against smell, uncovering its surprising importance in our lives. Learn how humans can distinguish trillions of scents, yet often overlook personal odors. Discover intriguing connections between scent and behavior, including deodorant preferences. Plus, hear about Joy Milne's unique ability to detect Parkinson's disease through smell, highlighting the potential power of our noses in health diagnostics.
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High Sensitivity, Low Attention
- Humans are extremely sensitive to certain odor molecules and can detect concentrations down to parts per trillion.
- Sensitivity doesn't mean attention, so we still miss many smells unless they are strong or relevant.
Smells Must ‘Scream’ To Be Noticed
- We often need smells to be very strong to notice them because ordinary breathing doesn't register subtle odorants.
- Ethyl mercaptan is added to gas at far higher concentrations than detection threshold to ensure it grabs our attention.
Vultures Led Engineers To Gas Leaks
- Engineers in Texas noticed turkey vultures circling gas pipelines and traced it to odorants from leaks.
- The vultures were attracted because the odorant mimics compounds released by decomposing flesh.