On the Scent: A journey through the science of smell

by Paolo Pelosi

In humans, the perception of odours adds a fourth dimension to life, from the scent of flowers, the aroma of foods, and all the subtle smells in the environment. But how many types of odours can we distinguish? Why do we like the food we like? Which are the most powerful odorants, and how well does the human sense of smell perform compared with that of a dog or a butterfly?The sense of smell is highly complex, and such complexity discouraged scientists for a long time, leaving the world of smell in an atmosphere of mystery. Only recently, thanks to the new tools furnished by molecular biology and neuroscience, are we beginning to answer these questions, uncovering the hidden secrets of our sense of smell, and decoding the language used by most animals to communicate. In this book, Paolo Pelosi, one of the leading figures in the development of the science ofolfaction, recounts how the chemical alphabet behind smell has been pieced together over the past three decades. Drawing on anecdotes from his own scientific career, and celebrating the rich variety of smells from herbs to flowers to roast coffee and freshly baked bread, he weaves together an engaging andremarkable account of the science behind the most elusive of our senses.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2016

Reviews

[Chris Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to expect from this book -

On The Scent is not a casual read, though it's not quite at academic journal level complexity either. Instead it sits somewhere between the two and the value it offers to the reader will very much depend on what they hope to get from it.

The layman with no scientific background will learn a phenomenal amount about the history and evolution of our understanding of smell and the olfactory system, not just in ourselves as humans, but all throughout the animal kingdom.

The academic will get a very thorough overview of scientists involved, techniques used and important milestones that will assist them in their search for further research while also providing a very robust understanding of the olfactory system, how we currently understand and what the limitations of our understanding are.

As a forensics student with a keen interest in olfaction and it's possible applications in forensic identification 'On The Scent' was a fantastic crash course in olfaction giving me a superb foundation on which to build and continue to explore.

TL:DR
Not too hot, not too cold - it was just right, for me. Someone with a less enthusiastic interest and no prior scientific knowledge may find the terminology a little complex and confusing though should still find the subject interesting in and of itself.

[Rajesh Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well and then the scientist and chemist took over and it was all downhill after reading 50% of the book. And this is coming from someone who is involved in the world of chemicals for a living. The amount if technical information is mind numbing and this book is only recommended if you are a PhD student or something. This is not an accessible book on science - although given my background in science and chemistry I largely grasped the science behind olfaction but after a while all those technical terms just got too much to comprehend….