The Science Of How Smells Work - Harold McGee | Modern Wisdom Podcast 257

Harold McGee is an author and food expert. Our sense of smell sits at the front of our daily experience and yet our understanding of what smells are and how they're processed is almost non existent. Expect to learn why smell may be the oldest of our senses, how our brains combine what hits our nose to create sensations, whether smell will be the new frontier for the entertainment industry, what an opera singer smells like and much more... Sponsors: Get 25% discount on all mindful toiletries from Michael Hannah at https://www.michaelhannah.co.uk (use code MW25) Get 20% discount & free shipping on your Lawnmower 3.0 at https://www.manscaped.com/ (use code MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Buy Nose Dive - https://amzn.to/3qHCEAY Follow Harold on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Harold_McGee Get my free Ultimate Life Hacks List to 10x your daily productivity → https://chriswillx.com/lifehacks/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #smell #biology #haroldmcgee - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

Harold McGeeguestChris Williamsonhost

Dec 12, 202053mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: December 12, 2020
Duration: 53m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Harold McGee is an author and food expert. Our sense of smell sits at the front of our daily experience and yet our understanding of what smells are and how they're processed is almost non existent. Expect to learn why smell may be the oldest of our senses, how our brains combine what hits our nose to create sensations, whether smell will be the new frontier for the entertainment industry, what an opera singer smells like and much more... Sponsors: Get 25% discount on all mindful toiletries from Michael Hannah at https://www.michaelhannah.co.uk (use code MW25) Get 20% discount & free shipping on your Lawnmower 3.0 at https://www.manscaped.com/ (use code MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Buy Nose Dive - https://amzn.to/3qHCEAY Follow Harold on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Harold_McGee Get my free Ultimate Life Hacks List to 10x your daily productivity → https://chriswillx.com/lifehacks/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #smell #biology #haroldmcgee - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

SPEAKERS

Harold McGee
guest
Chris Williamson
host
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Harold McGee and Chris Williamson, The Science Of How Smells Work - Harold McGee | Modern Wisdom Podcast 257 explores inside Your Nose: How Smell Shapes Perception, Emotion, and Evolution Harold McGee explains smell as our most direct physical contact with the world: volatile molecules bind to receptors in the nose, which the brain then interprets using context and memory. He contrasts smell with taste, vision, and hearing, showing how smell dominates flavor, is deeply emotional, and is among the oldest senses in evolution. The conversation ranges from animal, plant, soil, and industrial odors to cultural associations, technology attempts like Smell‑O‑Vision, and perfumery using exotic materials such as agarwood and ambergris. McGee also touches on health signals in excrement, the chemistry of pleasant versus unpleasant smells, and emerging scientific tools that let us capture and decode the scents of the natural world.

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