The Human Sense of Smell: Are We Better Than We Think? (original) (raw)
Figure 1
Hypothetical “Odor Wheel” Representing and Comparing the Odor Worlds of Mouse and Human
The inner part represents the different categories of odors for the mouse; the relative importance of each category for mouse smell-dependent behavior is indicated by the area of each wedge. The outer part represents the same categories for the human; the importance of each category for human smell-dependent behavior compared with the mouse is indicated by the area of each wedge. Note the greater importance of food odors for the human, reflecting the factors discussed in the text. Note also the retention of some sensitivity in humans to social odors and other odors prominent in rodents, though in many cases to still undetermined degrees. Based on numerous sources and the hypotheses discussed in the text.