Scientists identify how humans detect the smell of body odour and musk

Surprisingly little is known about the role played by our 400 or so receptors in identifying specific smells

When you are packed on a commuter train, the body odour of fellow passengers can at times be hard to ignore. Now scientists have shed light on how our noses pick up on the stench.

While different scents can be highly evocative, only a fraction of our 400 or so odour receptors have been shown to be involved in the perception of specific smells.