Page 36 - The Miracles of Smell and Taste

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and receptors to come together and also prevent excessive numbers of
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scent molecules from reaching the receptors. What is certain is that the
proteins recognize thousands of different scent particles, establish com-
munication with them and regulate the molecular traffic in the mucus lay-
er—reaffirming the fact of an astonishing creation.

Imagine yourself wandering in a garden filled with lovely-smelling
flowers and holding them up to your nose to smell them, one by one. In
order for new scent particles to reach the receptors in your nose, the old
molecules need to be disposed of, or it will be impossible for you to de-
tect the smell of the second flower after smelling the first. Such an even-

tuality could have unwelcome consequences, but it is prevented by cer-
tain enzymes within the mucus. 22