A unique study conducted by American and Chinese researchers has revealed that the human sense of smell is faster than previously believed. It was traditionally thought that humans could detect a smell and identify it within a second, but new research shows that humans can identify up to 15 different smells within that time frame.
According to the study, humans can detect a smell in less than a hundredth of a second. Since one second is made up of 100 milliseconds, humans have the ability to identify a smell within just 60 milliseconds.
CNN reports that American and Chinese scientists tested human olfactory abilities by conducting research on 229 adult participants. The researchers developed a computerized device containing four types of scents. Two of these scents were released simultaneously, while the other two were introduced in an extremely short amount of time.
The participants were asked to wear the device on their heads and distinguish between the scents. Researchers were surprised when most of the volunteers quickly identified the differences between the smells.
The study found that, typically, the human eye blinks in less than half a second, with some people able to identify scents even before that time. The researchers concluded that the human sense of smell is far more advanced than previously thought, with the ability to differentiate smells within a fraction of a second.
Earlier studies had already shown that humans have a superior sense of smell compared to animals. Another study revealed that humans can distinguish between a trillion different types of smells, with the eyes also playing a role in this ability.
