12 surprising facts about the nose that you didn't know & bull; hello healthy

The function of the nose as a respiratory organ may not need to be debated. Everyone knows that. On the other hand, the nose, along with the eyes and mouth, are the essential features of the overall appearance of the face which are also what we are - whether we realize it or not. By just looking at the shape and size of the nose, we can determine a person's ethnicity. But the nose is not only that.

Here are 12 surprising facts about the human sense of smell that you didn't know before.

Did you know that …

1. There are at least 14 different types of noses

A recent survey on Journal of Craniofacial Surgery identified 14 human nose shapes, ranging from upright to sharp and bending downward. But many experts argue that the variation may be more than that when viewed from the various factors that make up the structure of the nose.

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2. Your nose shapes your voice

The sound we hear when someone speaks or sings is largely determined by the vibrations of the throat and nose structures to produce sound. Sound comes from the air we exhale when we breathe. When we exhale, the air stored in the lungs will flow out through the esophagus. This airflow passes between the two folds of the vocal cords, which are tightly joined together, so they vibrate and produce sound. The stronger the airflow, the stronger the sound.

The bindeng sound we hear when our next friend has a cold is caused by the loss of the vibration ability in the vocal cords because the air passage in the nose is blocked by mucus.

3. The nose is an air purifying organ

Apart from oxygen, the surrounding air also contains foreign particles such as dust, pollution, allergens, and bacteria and viruses. The nose functions as a traffic controller where the tiny hairs in it filter all kinds of foreign objects and trap them with mucus for us to swallow. At the same time, the nose moisturizes the dry air we breathe in for the sake of our lungs and throat. These two organs do not tolerate dry air very well. The air that has been successfully moisturized by the nose is now at a temperature similar to the core temperature of the body, which is much better tolerated by the body's systems.

4. Humans can detect at least a trillion different scents

Humans have about 12 million olfactory receptor cells for recognizing a wide variety of odors, though still far fewer than animals, such as bloodhounds with 4 billion olfactory receptors and bears with 7 times more than bloodhounds.

When an aroma enters the nose, these particles will enter the top of the nasal cavity into the olfactory opening where the olfactory nerves nest. Here, smells detected by olfactory receptors activate nerves to transmit signals to the brain. The combination of the various activated nerves registers each unique odor we can detect.

5. The nose can get bored

The sense of smell gets bored easily. When you enter a bakery or coffee shop you are very aware of the strong scent, but when you leave, you will no longer be able to smell the distinct aroma around you.

Your scent cells are renewed every 28 days, so once every four weeks, you get a "new" nose with a sharper sense of smell. But this function will decrease with age.

6. Smells can make you feel nostalgic

Smell is the most sensitive sense. Humans can remember smells with an accuracy of 65% after one year, while visual memories are only about 50% after three months. Research has shown that smell is the sense most associated with our emotional memory. Seventy-five percent of the emotions that humans display are triggered by smells associated with happiness, well-being, emotions, and memory.

This is because scent cell signals that transport information about smell go directly to areas of the brain that store and process emotions and memories - the hippocampus and amygdala. This is why as soon as you smell the old school powder body powder, you may immediately think of your mother or grandmother who used to use it a lot. And, the same smell can evoke different memories and emotions from one person to another.

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7. Humans can smell emotions

You can smell fear and disgust through sweat, and then you can experience the same emotions. That's because everyone has a unique personal smell thanks to the chemical chains embedded in each other's sweat. You can also smell sexual happiness and arousal, as long as the individual you are "tracking" the smell is your romantic partner.

8. Smell determines the taste of food

Smell plays a key role in taste. It has four main tastes: bitter, sour, sweet and salty. All human acuity in recognizing taste is actually related to the nose, because our sense of smell accounts for 75-95% of the taste experience. Without being able to smell the difference between the smell of an onion and a potato, it would be difficult to tell the difference between the two.

9. Your sense of smell turns off while you sleep

Sensory stimuli - sound, temperature, touch, even pain - are less effective in people who are sleeping at night. So you don't smell coffee and wake up; but you'll wake up first, and then smell the coffee. Whatever smells you experience in the dream are created by the brain, not from outside. However, if we wake up very briefly and smell the aroma of coffee, it will wake you up further if we are attracted to the aroma.

10. Your nose is your protector

The sense of smell is not just for pleasure; it's also important for safety. We need our sense of smell to detect smoke, spoiled food, and other poisonous gases. The nose is sensitive, but it still can't smell natural gas, which is often used in cooking gas stoves, making it difficult to detect a potential leak of dangerous gases. Therefore, gas companies added mercaptans, a compound to give natural gas its distinctive odor. Another odorless hazardous gas is carbon monoxide (CO). People who have lost their sense of smell should set the gas alarm and have to be careful what they eat.

People who can't sniff out smells have a condition called anosmia. Meanwhile, people who have a very, very sensitive smell are called cacosmia; accepted all the scents he smelled as terrible and sickening, even the fragrance of roses.

11. Your style of sneezing may be inherited from your parents

Apart from smiling and laughing, your sneeze style can be a unique characteristic that was inherited from one of your parents. The process of sneezing starts with irritant particles that enter the nose (for example, pepper powder or pollen) and are detected by the nerves around the nose and face, as sensory and motor drives. Then, the irritant activates a series of reflexes to blow it out: a deep breath and a buildup of air in the lungs, then a sudden opening of the diaphragm forcing air out through the mouth and nose that carries the irritant. This expulsion reflex can power up to an average of 100 miles per hour.

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12. Women's sense of smell is stronger; but a man can smell a fertile woman

Women's sense of smell is much stronger than men's. Her strength will increase even more in the first half of the menstrual cycle and will reach her most sensitive peak when a woman is at her most fertile period.

Meanwhile, men may be able to smell when a woman is at her most fertile period, regardless of the perfume and cosmetics they wear. Researchers believe there is a link between the peak fertility of the female cycle and the release of pheromones in higher concentrations. Pheromones are hormones released from both men and women that are believed to be odorless and undetectable by human “naked” noses. Pheromones are believed to promote feelings and sex drive because they are linked to receptors in the brain that regulate primitive behavior and emotions, as well as the release of hormone control via the endocrine system.