The Secrets of Scent - February 2026
- Cynthia Zager Godwin
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
In this edition:
The Secrets of Scent – and its incredible complexity!
Linda Sammaritan – author of children’s and women’s fiction
Writer’s Corner – ongoing book cover design
Complexity of Scent
How do you distinguish the astonishing range of scents you pick up every day? From the rich smell of coffee in the morning to the sweet fragrance of a rose on Valentine’s Day or the fresh scent of moist earth after a rain?
Every time you smell something, the 400 odorant receptors in your nose pick up hundreds of different molecules. These receptors and your brain work seamlessly to sort information and tell you what your nose picked up.
The science of scent – or not!
Exactly how the sense of smell works is so challenging, we can’t replicate it in a lab. That means there's no way to perform a detailed analysis of this particular sense. So much for science.
According to Aashish Manglik, M.D., PhD., a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at USSF, the sense of smell is, “impossible to make in a test tube.”
This reminds me of what the Lord said in a Psalm, “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psalm 139:5 & 6 NASB). Who knew the sense of smell was that complex?
In the study above, Professor Manglik, took 3D pictures of the 400 odor receptors in the nose as they functioned using electron microscopy. What the study found was astonishing. Some receptors are sensitive to sharp smells like vinegar. Others receptors are more flexible, picking up a much wider range of scents. The research helps explain why we can distinguish such an extensive range of odors.
How important is smell?
Sensing odor is a critical warning system. It alerts you to hazards like smoke, toxic fumes, or spoiled food. It can save your life!
Without a sense of smell, food loses much of its taste and the pleasure of eating is diminished. Smell is the strongest of all the senses. It triggers instant emotional memories that take you back to the time and place where you first smelled something.
This is because of the parts of the brain that light up. The receptors in the nose bypass the thalamus, or relay center, that all the other senses connect to first.
Bypassing the relay center connects the information from your nose directly to the amygdala, or emotion center, in the brain, and also to the hippocampus which forms memory. This accounts for the rapid, intense reaction scent produces.
Why a baby cries when you hold them
Babies know mom’s scent! That’s because babies have an extremely well-developed sense of smell. It turns out, you don’t have the right “mom” smell for baby. During the last trimester of pregnancy, baby got used to his or her mom’s smell. That familiar smell spells comfort and reassurance in baby’s strange, new world.
Loss of smell can predict disease
Losing your sense of smell also can be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s. This is because of the connection of the receptors in the nose to the limbic system in the brain. This is a complex group of systems that regulate emotion and behavior and work with other parts of the brain, especially the part that processes memory.
Smell – can even influence your choice of a mate!
The sense of smell is thought to play a crucial role in the mate you pick. And you thought it was just based on looks and personality!
The famous 1995 “T-Shirt Test” had men wear a T-shirt for two nights and then asked women to rate the smell of the shirt on intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness.
Based on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, responsible for the development of the immune system, women (those not on the pill*) preferred T-shirts from men with genes different from theirs. A 1998 study showed even fish prefer genes different than their own!
Different genes protect against a wider range of infection and disease. This results in healthier offspring more likely to pass on their genes.
Which helps fulfil the Lord’s first command to Adam and Eve. God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28 NASB). It's easier to fill the earth if babies are born healthier.
*An interesting side-note from the T-shirt study: women on the pill preferred men with genes like theirs.
Linda Sammaritan – author
Linda is a member of my writer’s group, the Lady Lits. A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to eight, Linda is a former teacher turned author. She writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen, and women’s fiction.
Take a look at her blog where she compares physical fragrances with our own "spiritual" fragrances:
Read Linda’s latest book, The Song Awakens. Recommended!
One moment of temptation. Years of separation. How much of the truth does she dare to confess?
Stefania lives with the guilt of one unguarded moment and cannot forgive herself, which leaves her sleepwalking through life. She’s convinced the loss of her children is God’s punishment.
Writer’s Corner
I’m still working with the designer on a cover for my first novel. It’s a bit of a learning curve.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give, send the designer exact pictures of what you’re looking for!
Here’s the latest cover. I’m still trying to get the female character to look like less like a cover girl for a new fragrance (LOL!) and more like a scientist/explorer.
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