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What’s that smell? We use that phrase frequently, whether a scent is divine — fresh-baked brownies, pine trees, new car smell — or disgusting (imagine a landfill on a warm day). Humans can detect an astonishing one trillion different odors, and unlike other senses, which send signals to an internal relay center, smells go directly from the olfactory tract to your brain. Our sense of smell can decline with age, so take time to stop and smell the roses. And everything else.
Your Brain on Smell
From tulips to fresh-baked bread, smells can delight us, entice us and trigger memories. But why are scents so powerful? Learn the unique way that your brain processes smells.