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Posted by on Mar 24, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

How Does My Nose Smell Things?

How Does My Nose Smell Things?

How Does My Nose Smell Things? You smell by means of an organ of smell called the “olfactory” organ. This organ is made up of special nerve cells high up in your nose.

Everything that has a smell gives off tiny molecules of gas. When you breathe, some of these odor molecules dissolve in the liquid, which keeps the inside of your nose moist.

This solution stimulates the sense-of-smell nerves. They send a “smell message” to your brain, and your brain recognizes an odor.

All this happens in a split second. The brain figures out whether a smell is nice or stinky. The brain also names the smells around you.

For example, it tells you that flower smells flowery. The average human nose recognizes about 10,000 different smells. So now you have the answer to the question how does my nose smell things.

What are the things we can smell with your nose? Smell is also important for your perception of taste. Chewing your food releases aromas that travel from your mouth and throat to the nose. Without smell, we can detect only 5 basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami (savory).

Can you touch your brain through your nose? Surgeons Can Now Do Brain Surgery Through the Nose. Trans-nasal endoscopic skull base surgery is far less invasive than a craniotomy. Before mummifying someone, the ancient Egyptians would remove the deceased’s brain through the nose. Today, neurosurgeons can operate on brain tumors using a similar method.

Content for this question contributed by Heather Lair, resident of Charleston, Coles County, Illinois, USA