Name: You smell with your body, not just your nose
Uploaded: 2017-07-27T14:52:42Z
Duration: 6 min 55 s
Description: Do your kidneys have a sense of smell? Turns out, the same tiny scent detectors found in your nose are also found in some pretty unexpected places -- like your muscles, kidneys and even your lungs. In this quick talk (filled with weird facts), physiologist Jennifer Pluznick explains why they're there and what they do.

Jennifer Pluznick: You smell with your body, not just your nose

You smell with your body, not just your nose

Do your kidneys have a sense of smell? Turns out, the same tiny scent detectors found in your nose are also found in some pretty unexpected places -- like your muscles, kidneys and even your lungs. In this quick talk (filled with weird facts), physiologist Jennifer Pluznick explains why they're there and what they do.

Olfactory receptors, once thought to exist only in the nose, are actually scattered throughout the body, including in muscles, kidneys, lungs, and blood vessels. These tiny chemical sensors help organs detect changes, such as chemicals made by gut bacteria that may influence blood pressure. One surprising example is that even human sperm use these receptors to navigate. The discovery is changing how scientists understand the body's internal communication.