Not to be sniffed at: human sense of smell rivals that of dogs, says study

Human olfactory abilities have been underestimated and are just as good as those of other mammals, says neuroscientist

"Man smells poorly," Aristotle wrote, while Charles Darwin concluded that a sense of smell was of "extremely slight service" to the civilised human. When it comes to detecting odours, we have long dismissed human abilities as second-rate.

Now this view has been challenged in a scientific analysis that argues the human sense of smell has not only been underestimated, but that it may rival that of dogs and rodents.