Chapter 1
The brain's direct hotline
Chapter 2
The Proust effect and time travel
Chapter 3
The evolutionary survival guide
Chapter 4
Cultural landscapes of scent
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret power of the sniff
Ch 1 · The brain's direct hotline
elorea Direct Olfactory Pathway
Other senses route through the thalamus, but scent goes straight to your memory.
elorea A brain diagram maps the direct pathway between scent receptors and the hippocampus.
elorea A glowing pathway connects a scent source directly to the brain's emotional center
Fun Fact
Scent receptors: Humans have about six million scent receptors, but a rabbit has over 100 million of them.
Glossary
olfactory bulb (noun)
A rounded mass of tissue containing nerve cells involved in the sense of smell. This structure transmits neural signals directly to the amygdala and hippocampus, completely bypassing the brain's thalamus.
A rounded mass of tissue containing nerve cells involved in the sense of smell. This structure transmits neural signals directly to the amygdala and hippocampus, completely bypassing the brain's thalamus.
Quiz
Which brain structure, responsible for processing emotions like fear, connects directly to the olfactory bulb?
Quiz
Approximately how many types of scent receptors do humans have in their nasal cavity?
Quiz
Which sensory system is the only one that bypasses the brain's thalamus relay station?
Quiz
How do scent receptors transmit information to the brain after detecting odor molecules?
Quiz
What is the main function of the thalamus, which the sense of smell uniquely bypasses?
Quiz
Which of the following senses is considered evolutionary the oldest and most primal in vertebrates?
Quiz
Where is the olfactory epithelium, which contains millions of scent-detecting cells, located in the human body?