“We get used to smells. We can also look at our planet that way,” [Vladimir Nikiforov, researcher at NILU, the Norwegian Institute for Air Research] says.
There are lots of old and new smells floating around in the air at all times, but we have gotten used to them.
Sweaty people, pollution, and cooking emit odours.
“It may be that there are odour molecules from the time of the dinosaurs, which have been flying around for 65 million years,” Nikiforov says.
It is possible, but quite unlikely.
“And if that is the case, we wouldn’t be able to perceive them,” he says.
The fact that humans are so good at getting used to smells can actually be quite dangerous.
“Hydrogen sulphide is a gas that smells like rotten eggs,” Nikiforov says.
That probably makes people want to stay away.
If not, you can get used to the smell in just a few minutes.
“Then it becomes a dangerous trap. The gas can start seeping into your lungs,” he says.
