The Nose: Sense of Smell

We're studying sensory organs.

Today was about the nose & the sense of smell.

The activitiy: Taste test

We learned that the majority of our ability to taste comes from the sense of smell in the nasal cavity, connected to the smelling bulb in the brain. The odor molecules (i.e. from food) is released in the air, enters the nostrils, then dissolved into the mucus in the nasal cavity. The tiny fibers in the cavity detect the dissolved particles in the mucus, sending messages to the brain, indicating which smell it represents. 

Did you know that an average nose can detect 3000 different smells? Scientists don't know exactly how this is done (they do have a theory though).

Isn't God so smart?!!

This is why when we have a cold, we can't taste food very well. Extra mucus is developed in the nasal cavity, and the smelling fibers are not able to detect the odor molecules as well.

Here are some pics of the eager taste testers with thir sense of sight "turned off"...

Here are the different food types we used to taste test (lunch).

Happy to have all their senses turned back on!