2026-09-20T17:18:58Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1013582025-10-27T18:00:44Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Thomas Levenson.
Becker, Rachel A
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Comparative Media Studies.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2016-02-29T15:02:33Z
2016-02-29T15:02:33Z
2015
2015
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101358
939622399
Thesis: S.M. in Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 20-26).
The sense of smell is a mystery-and the human sense of smell is a particularly inscrutable one. Only in the last 25 years have scientists identified the molecules in our noses responsible for detecting odors, and since then, the unexpected discovery of a new family of olfactory detection molecules has complicated the story. When the complexities of the human brain, human motivation, and human variation are added to the mix, the question of what smells do to and for us becomes even more perplexing-and intriguing. Essayist and physician Lewis Thomas wrote that understanding the sense of smell "may not seem a profound enough problem to dominate all the life sciences, but it contains, piece by piece, all the mysteries." Scientists from all fields are coming together to solve these mysteries of olfaction, and their investigations are starting to reveal that the sense of smell can move us in ways that we aren't even always aware. While it's clear that scientists are far from closing the case on smell, it is also becoming increasingly obvious that the power of the human nose is nothing to sniff at.
by Rachel A. Becker.
S.M. in Science Writing
26 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Comparative Media Studies.
You smell : the mysterious science of scent
Mysterious science of scent
Thesis
application/pdf
Publication
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>The sense of smell is a mystery-and the human sense of smell is a particularly inscrutable one. Only in the last 25 years have scientists identified the molecules in our noses responsible for detecting odors, and since then, the unexpected discovery of a new family of olfactory detection molecules has complicated the story. When the complexities of the human brain, human motivation, and human variation are added to the mix, the question of what smells do to and for us becomes even more perplexing-and intriguing. Essayist and physician Lewis Thomas wrote that understanding the sense of smell "may not seem a profound enough problem to dominate all the life sciences, but it contains, piece by piece, all the mysteries." Scientists from all fields are coming together to solve these mysteries of olfaction, and their investigations are starting to reveal that the sense of smell can move us in ways that we aren't even always aware. While it's clear that scientists are far from closing the case on smell, it is also becoming increasingly obvious that the power of the human nose is nothing to sniff at.</Abstract>
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