In his newest video, Vsauce is back and explaining some science. His latest, “Why Do We Have Two Nostrils” explores the concept of human noses, using comparisons between ears and eyes to illustrate why having two nostrils is as important as some of the human body's other multiples.
According to the video, every human has a dominant nostril that can take in air quickly, as well as a non-dominant nostril that works a little more slowly. Throughout the day a human’s nostrils trade off so that one will be dominant for a while and the other will take over later. This helps smells to be processed by the human body in a timely and intricate fashion.
Somehow, the middle portion of the video jumps from how humans are able to smell into a discussion of what space smells like. I’m a big proponent of Vsauce, and the whole “space smell” discussion is pretty spectacular, but if you aren’t super excited to learn about ethyl formate on Sagittarius B and how that translates into a raspberry and rum smell on Earth, the middle part of “Why Do We Have Two Nostrils” may, ultimately, be a little bit of a letdown. Luckily, it all gets back on track, throwing out vocabulary words like ‘anosmic’ to define people who aren’t lucky enough to get to smell through their two nostrils. So check it out, and spend ten minutes of your day thinking about why and how you are able to smell.
