the science of smell

This is "Science Today,'' and I'm Michael Edson. There are many ways to say that something has a smell. We might use the words fragrance or aroma to talk about a good smell, or if we want to express that something smells bad, we use stench or stink. Dogs and many other animals are lucky (or perhaps not so lucky) to have a very keen sense of smell. Our noses are not nearly as sensitive, but they are good enough to smell a leaking gas pipe or food cooking in the kitchen. Our sense of smell also helps us to taste. If you have ever tried to enjoy a meal when you had a stuffy nose, you will probably remember that the food seemed to have tasted rather bland, like it needed to be seasoned. This hour on "Science Today," we are going to talk about the sense of smell. Stay with us.