Home
| Health
| Internal Organs
| Brain
| About the Human Nose
About the Human Nose
by Roxann Schroeder
-
Overview
The nose is an air conditioner, adjusting the temperature and humidity of air before it reaches the lungs. It also detects odors and has a huge effect on the sense of taste (see References 1 and 2).
-
Significance
The nose is part of the respiratory (breathing) and sensory (smell and taste) systems of the body. It also affects the sound of your voice.
-
Structure
The nose is made of bone, cartilage, skin and muscle. Inside the nose are odor receptors (nerves) and mucus-producing cells. Nerve cells in the nose detect odors and connect directly to brain cells. Odor receptors are replaced after about a month, unlike most nerve cells (Reference 1).
-
Role of Mucus
Mucus dissolves odor molecules so they can bind odor receptors. The sticky mucus traps particles (dust, pollen or germs) to keep them out of the lungs. Runny noses flush particles or germs out of the nose with the extra mucus.
-
Importance of Smell
The smell can tell you if food is good or if it has spoiled. Without a sense of smell, the sense of taste is lost (Reference 2).
-
Warning
The FDA warned on June 19, 2009, that zinc used to treat colds has caused some people to permanently lose their sense of smell (Reference 3).
