| Over the hundreds of thousands of years that | | | | 600 million olfactory cells making its sense of smell 3 |
| humans have been on the face of the earth, our | | | | million times more sensitive or acute than mans'. No |
| sense of smell has gone through an evolutionary | | | | wonder a bloodhound can follow a trail that is days old. |
| development. We walk upright now so our sense of | | | | The millions of human olfactory cells are sensitive to |
| sight and hearing have supplanted our need to smell | | | | some 10,000 different chemicals from which we can |
| danger or find food. Humans have some 5-10 million | | | | distinguish hundreds of different smells. Although we no |
| scent-detecting olfactory cells positioned in the | | | | longer depend upon our nose for survival, in our more |
| olfactory epithelium at the top of the nasal cavity. Now | | | | complicated and advanced society, we look to smell to |
| that sounds like a lot but these cells are only a small | | | | improve our aesthetic quality of life. The food and |
| contingency of the entire nasal mucous membrane | | | | fragrance industries have figured this out and present |
| which is primarily respiratory epithelium. Let's put this in | | | | to us a smorgasbord of scents, fragrances, and |
| perspective. A rabbit has an estimated 100 million | | | | aromas designed to get our attention and to buy their |
| olfactory cells which are constantly turning over as | | | | products. |
| new cells every few days. A rabbit needs to smell | | | | Want to know more about essential oils and how they |
| food and danger or not survive. A small dog has some | | | | can help us stay healthy? Consider becoming a |
| 125 million olfactory cells yet a bloodhound has over | | | | certified clinical aromatherapist. |