Smell
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The Olfactory Membrane
The male narrator focuses on the structures of the olfactory membrane such as the receptor cells, cilia, and olfactory glands by using simple illustrations with arrows the appropriate times. How is smell information passed from the nostril cavity to the brain? What is the function of the Bowmans glands?
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The Olfactory Pathway
This short clip follows nicely after the clip above. In a similar fashion to the previous clip, the narrator reviews how air passes the olfactory membrane to the cranial nerves, and eventually to the olfactory cortex. Imagine you are blindfolded and someone places an object under your nose. You are asked to identify it. Suppose you correctly identified the object. How did you…
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Amazing Facts About a Cats Sense of Smell
Did you know that a cats sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than humans? This short clip gives many facts about a cats olfactory senses, especially in comparison with humans. What is the difference between macrosmatic and microsmatic? What are cats? What are humans? Why is this difference important?
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Chocolate Bird: Action Olfaction
This is the opening scene from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (The soundtrack has been replaced.) A note on YouTube from the person who uploaded it says Try and immerse yourself in the chocolaty aromas . . . Did you find that your olfactory system was affected by watching this video? Why or why not?
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How to Attract Girls Pheromones
In this clip from Brainiac Science, an experiment is conducted: Will a blindfolded woman be most attracted to a man who smells of pheromones (or, in this case, a synthetic substitute), one who smells of aftershave, or one who smells of sweat? How scientific do you think the results of this experiment are? What are pheromones? How would you explain to someone how…
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The Adventures of the Nasal Ranger at the NY State Fair
Reporter Hart Seely of The Post-Standard attacks the New York State Fair, armed only with an olfactometer. His goal is to measure the different smells. He smells several locations around the fair, including the chicken coops, pig pens, and barbecue pit. What do the different odor units mean? Why might it be important to test your sense of smell on an olfactometer every…
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Anosmia: Life Without Smell
This short documentary follows the lives of two people who suffer from Anosmia they have lost the ability to be able to smell. Each of the people featured in this video lost their sense of smell in different ways. In addition to the ways featured here a virus and nasal polyps what are some causes of anosmia? How can the loss of ones…
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