How do people smell?

Question

We're learning about Smelling in chemistry. How do people smell odors with their noses?

Answer 1

Its called olfaction.Olfaction is the sense of smell, is the detection of chemicals dissolved in air. The chemicals themselves which are generally at very low concentrations are called odors.

Each olfactory receptor neuron in the nose expresses only one functional odor receptor. Odor receptor nerve cells function like a key-lock system: if the airborne molecules of a certain chemical can fit into the lock the nerve cell will respond.each receptor detects a feature of the odor molecule. Weak-shape theory, known as odotope theory, suggests that different receptors detect only small pieces of molecules, and these minimal inputs are combined to form a larger olfactory perception (similar to the way visual perception is built up of smaller, information-poor sensations, combined and refined to create a detailed overall perception). An alternative theory, the vibration theory proposed by Luca Turin (1996, 2002), posits that odor receptors detect the frequencies of vibrations of odor molecules in the infrared range by electron tunnelling. However, the behavioral predictions of this theory have been called into question (Keller and Vosshall, 2004). As of yet, there is no theory that explains human olfactory perception completely.

hope this helps

Answer 2

Specialized receptor cells of the olfactory epithelium detect and recognize smells.

Your nose is a huge cavity built to smell, moisten, and filter the air you breathe. When you breathe in, the tiny hairs, called cilia, act like a broom and filter everything trying to get into your nose; from dust particles to bugs.

The air passes through the nasal cavity and though a thick layer of mucous to the olfactory bulb. The smells are recognized here because each smell molecule fits into a nerve cell like a puzzle piece. The cells then send signals to the brain via the olfactory nerve. The brain then interprets those molecules as the sweet flowers, or the curdling milk that you've held up to your nose.

Humans can detect over 10,000 different smells. The olfactory nerve picks up the scents from the air you breathe and translate them into nerve impulses or messages that are then sent to the olfactory bulb located in the front of the brain.

Actually, how and why we smell is still inadequately known. There are many theories about the exact process of our sense of smell. Most believe that it is highly specialized processes in which molecular rings and receptors invite odorant-bringing proteins. It is a very complicate, intricately detailed, and mysteriously misunderstood system, our sense of smell.

Answer 3

Our noses have very specific receptors. Think about it this way, smells are different sized plugs floating around in the air. The nose receptors are different sized sockets that are designed for a certain kind of plug. If there is a plug floating around, we inhale it and it meets the socket in our noses. Since the two fit together, a signal is sent to your brain to tell you how you should react to it, whether it be the fight or flea in response to a putrid smell, or arousal due to the smell of a partner. Some smells are very similar in molecular shape so we might smell something that might smell like something else but a little different. We sense that too.

Answer 4

they smell with thier noses silly.lol
by receptors(kinda like taste buds, but in the nasal cavity) in the nose/sinuses picking up different scents and aromas
answer prior to mine; nose hairs are more of a filter to catch pollutants/contaminants before they hit the sinuses

Answer 5

The hairs inside their nostrils catch the scent. What you should do during chemistry is take whiffs with your hand when attempting to smell a chemical or liquid.

Answer 6

It's a special ninja abilty. It's all very complicated, you wouldn't understand.

Answer 7

Awful!

Answer 8

I think it's with the olfactory nerve.