Humans stink. The human armpit is one of the most profound sources of odor produced by any animal; our breath is a confusing melody of smells; our genitals reek. The organ that covers our body—our skin—is itself covered in sweat and sebaceous glands, which are regularly churning out fluid and oils holding our particular brand of scent. When we touch objects, we leave a bit of ourselves on them: a slough of skin, with its clutch of bacteria steadily munching and excreting away. This is our smell, our signature odor. If the object is porous—a soft slipper, say—and we spend a lot of time touching
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