03/21/2014

Scientists Test What the Nose Knows

9:10 minutes

Scientists once estimated that humans could distinguish only 10,000 unique smells, as compared to 7.5 million colors and 340,000 tones. Now a new Rockefeller University study suggests the nose knows much more than we thought. Instead of 10,000 unique odors, try one trillion.

Segment Guests

Andreas Keller

Andreas Keller is a research associate at The Rockefeller University in New York, New York.

Meet the Producer

About Annie Minoff

Annie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.

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