The nose knows best

Dogs can smell diseases—here’s what else you didn’t know about scent

Image: Lisette Harzing

Smell is one of our most underrated senses, yet it shapes memories, triggers emotions, and even affects behavior. While taste and vision often take center stage, scent works behind the scenes, influencing everything from who we’re attracted to, to what we remember most vividly. Here are 10 real, brainy, and sometimes bizarre facts about smell that reveal just how powerful your nose really is.

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A 2014 study published in Science shattered the old myth that humans can only detect 10,000 odors. Using complex mixtures of odor molecules, researchers showed people can distinguish over 1 trillion unique scents.

Image: Declan Sun

The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus—areas tied to memory and emotion. That’s why scents can instantly bring back vivid memories or feelings.

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Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors, compared to a human’s 5 to 6 million. Their olfactory bulb is also 40 times larger relative to brain size. This allows dogs to detect some odors in parts per trillion—like explosives, drugs, or even diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Image: Ali Kazal

Humans can detect the direction of a scent using stereo olfaction—each nostril processes slightly different odor concentrations, helping you locate sources. It’s not as precise as in animals, but studies show people can track scents across open ground, especially with practice or training.

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Babies can recognize their mother’s scent within days of birth. Breastfed infants prefer the smell of their mother’s milk over others. This olfactory recognition helps form early attachment and may guide newborns to the breast for feeding in the first hours of life.

Image: Nathan Dumlao

While human pheromones remain a controversial topic, studies show we can subconsciously respond to scent cues linked to immune system genes (known as MHC). People often prefer the natural scent of partners with different MHC profiles—potentially increasing offspring health through greater genetic diversity.

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Retail stores often use "scent marketing" to influence customer behavior—like pumping out baked cookie smells to make shoppers linger. Studies show pleasant scents can increase time spent in stores, improve mood, and even boost how much people are willing to spend.

Image: Sean Sinclair

Synesthesia is a rare condition where stimulation of one sense involuntarily triggers another. Some synesthetes smell scents and see colors or shapes. The cause is likely cross-wiring in the brain.

Image: Stefan Rodriguez

Studies show that the scent of peppermint can increase alertness, memory, and physical performance. It’s often used by athletes and students for focus. The menthol in peppermint stimulates the trigeminal nerve, giving a cooling sensation that makes the brain feel more awake and refreshed.

Image: HUUM

Human sweat is odorless. The smell comes from bacteria on your skin breaking down sweat molecules into smelly compounds. Different bacteria produce different odors—some people’s sweat smells like vinegar, others like onions or even cat pee, depending on their microbiome.

NAME ANCESTRY

14 Surprising Origin Stories Behind State Names In The USA

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Ever wondered where most US states’ names come from? From Native American roots to foreign or made-up words, the stories behind many of them are riddled with surprising historical references. Although the origin of some US states’ names is fairly obvious, many derive from unexpected people or places. The origin of names like Colorado, Montana, or Nevada are easy to infer —especially if you know a bit of Spanish— but many others have Native American origins with intriguing meanings. Some are even derived from fiction. If you ever wanted to know where names like Oregon, Connecticut, or Wisconsin come from, you are in the right place. Enjoy the surprising etymologies behind some of the names that make our country.

Image: Joshua Woroniecki

Interestingly, for a state whose main economic activity is agriculture, the word Alabama comes from the Choctaw language and can be translated as "plant-cutters" or "vegetation pickers", recalling the farming practices of the Native Americans that lived in this area.

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Alaska is a corruption of an Aleut word that means "mainland", but can be translated literally as "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". This is one of those names that manage to bring poetry into a word as simple and down-to-earth as land.

Image: Vital Sinkevich

This one comes from… a Spanish adventure novel! Bet you didn’t expect that. In Las Sergas de Esplandin by Garcia Ordez de Montalvo, a book from the 1500s, there is a fictional place called the "Island of California". Even when the modern state of California is clearly not an island, some die-hard fanatic of the novel decided to bring the name to life here in the U.S.

Image: Juliette Dickens

Derived from the Algonquian word quinnehtukqut, which can be translated as "besides the long tidal river", in reference to the river Connecticut. If you are wondering what the "tidal" part means exactly, this is because the Connecticut River's flow and level are effectively influenced by tides along much of its course. Certainly some amazing insight into the rigorous knowledge of local hydrology that Native Americans managed to accrue over the centuries.

Image: Luke McKeown

Although the origin of this name is disputed, there are two main theories. One suggests that the islands may have been named after Hawaii Loa, their traditional discoverer. However, others have speculated that it is actually derived from the ancient Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods".

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Another crazy one. Although the name was first claimed to be derived from a Shoshone word that meant "Gem of the Mountains", it is highly likely that the word was fabricated by George M. Willing, and meant as a practical joke.

Image: Stéfano Girardelli

Quite literally, "land of Indians", using a Latin suffix. The word Indians originally referred to the ancient dwellers of the shores of the Indus River, in South and Central Asia.

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"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" said Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz, right after a rampant tornado literally lifted her house in the air and took it to God knows where. Well, this US state’s fame for violent winds predates even the first settlers, since Kansas is a Native American word used by the Dakota, strongly related to the idea of "wind".

Image: Drew Beamer

This state owes its name to an Iroquoian word that means "land of tomorrow". Quite a blockbuster-worthy movie title, if you ask me.

Image: Mercedes Mehling

The origin story behind the name of "The Pine Tree State" is still disputed. However, there are some interesting theories. One states that it derives from "mainland", as a form of distinction from the many coastal islands in the vicinity. Other theories propose that it was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen of England, or after the province of Mayne in France.

Image: Anthony Cantin

To the Native Americans that lived in this region, Missouri meant "town of the large canoes", as the Missouri tribes were renowned for their skill in making dugout canoes.

Image: Ashley Levinson

A largely disputed one. Many suggest that the name has Spanish origins, being similar to other words like orejón (meaning "big ear") or orégano, in reference to a type of plant (similar to the Mediterranean oregano) that grows in the southern part of the state.

Image: Donnie Rosie

This is the only state that has a part of its founder’s name in it. It is widely believed that Pennsylvania means "Penn’s Woodland", and was named as such in honor of Sir William Penn, father of its founder William Penn.

Image: Brydon McCluskey

This is probably a French corruption of a native Miami word that meant "it lies red" or "river running through a red place", in reference to the bed of the river Wisconsin.

If our quick dive into the peculiar world of US state names wasn’t enough to quench your curiosity, stay around! We will keep uploading more content related to language and the weird stories and etymologies behind many English and foreign words.