Page 94 - The Miracles of Smell and Taste

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ter. It perceives the characteristic scent of
every individual tributary, which odor
stems from plants, animals and soil, and
completes its journey by comparing these with the

scent memory it recorded on its journey to the sea when
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young. In short, the fish’s sense of smell serves to guide it on its journey
of thousands of kilometers (miles).
No doubt the sensitivity of the salmon’s sense of smell is one of the
countless proofs of the splendor in God’s creation. In one verse, God reveals:
Among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and Earth and all the
creatures He has spread about in them. And He has the power to gath-
er them together whenever He wills. (Surat ash-Shura: 29)

Scent Perception in Birds

Up until around 30 years ago, the general scientific view was that
birds could smell almost nothing at all. But it later emerged that this was
not the case. Research showed that birds did perceive smell, despite hav-
ing a seemingly small olfactory bulb in their brain. Birds use their sense
of smell while searching for food, selecting nesting materials