THE rough surfaces of our nasal cavities play a crucial part in sniffing out various smells.
David Walt of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, took a CAT scan of a dog鈥檚 nasal passages, which he then used as a blueprint to build an artificial nose. He found that the rough surfaces create 鈥渆ddies and currents鈥� of air that funnel smaller fragrant molecules through the nose faster than others. This exposes receptors in the nose to different cocktails of molecules, depending on exactly where they are.
Walt found the same receptor in different positions can distinguish between types of unflavoured vodka, rum and perfume (Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol 125, p 3684).
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