The Sense of Smell on Earth and in Space - Defying Gravity

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> on
Earth and in Space
Teacher
Ms Sau Ling Chan, Manhattan Center For Science and Mathematics
Scientists
Drs Patrick Gannon & Nancy Kheck, Mount Sinai School Of Medicine

ANOSMIA
“If your senses <strong>of</strong> taste or smell are impaired,
you're missing out on some <strong>of</strong> the most basic
pleasures life has to <strong>of</strong>fer”
Dr. Robert I. Henkin, Taste and <strong>Smell</strong> Clinic,
Washington, D.C.

QUALITY OF LIFE Problems
THINGS WE TAKE SO MUCH FOR GRANTED,
ANOSMICS CANNOT:
� Enjoy the <strong>Smell</strong> or Taste <strong>of</strong> Food / Wine, etc.
� Appreciate the <strong>Smell</strong> <strong>of</strong> Flowers, Babies, Mates, etc
� Detect Bad Breath or Body Odors in Self or Others
LIFE THREATENING Problems
THINGS WE CAN & NEED TO DO,
ANOSMICS CANNOT:
� Detect and Avoid Eating Spoiled Foods
� Detect and Avoid / Correct:
- Gas Leaks in the Home
- Burning Materials in the Home While Awake or
Asleep

�ANOSMIC I miss the taste QUOTES and smell <strong>of</strong> my favorite foods - I used to be a live
to eat" person, now I'm an "eat to live". I avoid restaurants and
prefer to eat alone, especially if the other people seem to really be
enjoying their food....all those "yummy" noises are heartbreaking
� I was a person who valued/enjoyed/indulged my senses <strong>of</strong> taste
and smell and they were a huge part <strong>of</strong> my quality <strong>of</strong> life. I am still
mourning the loss
� Food no longer tastes as good to me either, especially fruits and
vegetables. This is really starting to depress me
� I have a 2 year old, and I really miss how good she smelled to me
after her bath, all warm and sleepy, cuddled in my lap
� Have gotten used to paranoia about oral and other hygiene
� To have some smells <strong>of</strong> spring after 2 years <strong>of</strong> nothing is
wonderful to me
See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anosmia/

“Puffy Heads & Bird Legs Syndrome”
Space Shuttle Crew Report:
“We have just reached Earth
orbit. <strong>The</strong> sensations <strong>of</strong>
microgravity have begun to have
their effects. After several hours,
we all noticed that our upper
bodies and faces were feeling
fuller while our legs had become
much slimmer”
“<strong>The</strong> familiar faces <strong>of</strong> crewmates
became less familiar, plumped
up by redistribution
<strong>of</strong> body fluids”
A Plumped up
Face in Space

Atmospheric pressure varies in a
standing body and equalizes in a
resting body

MACROSMATIC
MICROSMATIC

Direction <strong>of</strong> Airflow During Inspiration

Anatomy <strong>of</strong> a Human Nose (Right Side)

Olfactory
Bulb
Nasal Cavity
Second-Order
Neurons
Cribriform
Plate
Olfactory
Receptor
Neurons
Columnar
Epithelium
Cilia
Olfactory Bulb
Overview <strong>of</strong> the Olfactory System
Olfactory
Tract

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
� �
OLFACTORY
BULB
“My <strong>Sense</strong> Of <strong>Smell</strong>
Is Important to
Me”………..
“I Think”
�
OLFACTORY
BULB

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
Wolf
Canis Lupus
Primary Predator
“How Important
is My <strong>Sense</strong>
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> to Me?”

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
Domestic Cat
Felis domesticus
“How Important
is My <strong>Sense</strong>
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> to Me?”

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
Common Mouse
Mus musculus
“How Important
is My <strong>Sense</strong>
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> to Me?”

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS

“My <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> is Very Important;
I Need it to Track and Find Food
Such as Mice”

“My <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> is Very Important to Me
I Need it to Find Food and
Avoid Predators
Such as Cats”

Eye
Socket
Sinus
��
OLFACTORY
BULB
Upper
Turbinate
Middle
Turbinate
Lower
Turbinate
Septum
(divider)
Sinus
Upper
Meatus
Middle
Meatus
Lower
Meatus
Cross-section <strong>of</strong> Both Sides <strong>of</strong> the Human Nasal Cavity

Both Sides <strong>of</strong> the
Dog Nasal Cavity

�
OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
European Hedgehog
Earth’s Most primitive living mammal
How Important?
“My <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong>
is My Life; It’s all I’ve Got.
More Than Any Other
Mammal living on the
Planet Earth”

OLFACTORY
BULB
OLFACTORY
BULBS
�
OLFACTORY
BULB
�� ��
OLFACTORY
BULB

Anatomy Inside a
Human Nose
(Right Side)
Overview <strong>of</strong> the Olfactory System

Wolf
“My <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> is Very Important to Me
I Need it to Track and Find Food”

Humans on Earth and in Space
How Important is Your <strong>Sense</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Smell</strong> to You?
How Important Will it Be For Astronauts in Microgravity?
ASk AN ANOSMIC……..THEY WILL KNOW