Keeping you nose to the ground

[speckled wood]

From BBC Ceefax

"The sensitivity of the human sense of smell has been significantly underestimated a study suggests.

US research had confounded the established belief that people have a poorer sense of smell than animals.

The work published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, asked people to follow scents on the ground, as a dog would do and found that they were as good.

A UK expert said the findings were "intriguing" and would aid better understanding of the sense."

[Gill Catton]

hmmmm not sure about that one, dogs can air scent too......

[honeybee]

Don't know if hormones have anything to do with it but when I was expecting my daughter i had a really strong sense of smell. I couldn't bear the smell of somebody drying their hair, I'd never even noticed the smell before.

[Oscar2006]

I don't think it would work in my case but.......
I can keep my ear to the ground, whilst sitting on the fence!
Folks tell me I'd make a good politician!

[Dogghound]

There is no chance a human has a better sense of smell than a dog! i carnt see how they have come up with this bizarre conclusion

[Mark Tulley]

There is hope for me in truffle hunting after all. I thought I would have to train a dog or a pig. Has anyone in WAB found truffles in Britain ?

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Mark Tulley

There is hope for me in truffle hunting after all. I thought I would have to train a dog or a pig. Has anyone in WAB found truffles in Britain ?

I think they are closely guarded secrets

[Dennis1234567]

Can't sniff the ground around here, too many cats.

[badgerwatcher]

Well, I can smell snow on its way, sugar in tea or coffee, oranges on the turn, and my nose can detect subtle temperature changes.
Don't know about sniffing the ground, though! I've got a bad back!

[Mrs Marley]

Here's what a friend had to say about this.

>Not another blinking study to inform us what we already know... Try three weeks in a jungle without food and other civilised luxuries.... You will soon find that your sense of smell will pick up anything. An empty bean tin at a hundred yards, a rotting animal half a mile away and the smell of cooking up to three miles away.... Sniffing a plant is enough to determine if it is edible or not...strange but true.

Now to get up and have some breakfast....I can smell toast

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

Well, I can smell snow on its way, sugar in tea or coffee, oranges on the turn, and my nose can detect subtle temperature changes.
Don't know about sniffing the ground, though! I've got a bad back!

BW.. isnt the smell of snow coming wonderful!
jaki

[buzfuz8149]

when our springer spaniel Meg was a pup we thought she had found truffles - she was digging like mad and brought out a pair of undies that had been a long time buried. (She thought she was the bees knees).
One day it might be truffles or even a gold cup.
Point of the story is I will leave the nose down and tail up part of the job to Meg.

Carol.

[honeybee]

I do think our sense of smell is diminished by air freshners, perfumes etc

[badgerwatcher]

Yes, indeed, Jaki!
And the smells of people we love, too! We don't know they have smells until they are not there for a while. I miss the smell of my father's tweed jacket.
So many of our animal instincts are still there. We just don't use them. I never wear a watch, because without it, I know what the time is by whatever signs I subconciously read, don't always know what they are.
And I can smell the electricity that precedes a storm, and the drop in temperature that precedes rain.
And I can dowse, without understanding how it works.

[Wild-Woman]

Found this.
Unleash your inner bloodhound – start sniffing - being-human - 17 December 2006 - New Scientist

[badgerwatcher]

That's fascinating, isn't it, WW. A bit hard on the knees and the back, or I'd be out there now trying it, but I will have a go in an area where I can kneel comfortably. Something else to put on my CV!
Of course, in my garden, the Fox and Badger smells are not shy!