Smell, the thinking goes, is not our strongest sense. Our lowly noses are eclipsed by our ability to see the world around us, hear the sound of music and feel the touch of a caress. Even animals, we're taught, have a far more acute sense of smell than we do.

But one scientist argues the idea of an inferior sense of smell stems from a 19th-century myth.

— Read more at Why Your Sense Of Smell Is Better Than You Might Think at NPR.

So, in more layman’s terms, olfactory fatigue occurs such that when you sense a specific odor, the receptors associated with that molecule can no longer be stimulated by similar molecules because the channels that create the electrical impulse will ultimately close. The result leaves only receptors that get stimulated by other molecules (different types of odors)- thus, your propensity to sense new smells more strongly, and the ones you get consistently bombarded with eventually no longer being detected at all. Congratulations, you’re now nose-blind.

— Business Insider explains olfactory fatigue. Read more at Human beings can't smell themselves, even when they stink — here's why.

A nanoparticle–enzyme sensor that puts out an olfactory signal – a rose-scented compound – allows humans to smell water contaminated by bacteria. The sensor could be used in environments where there’s no access to sophisticated lab equipment and can return a result in just 15 minutes.

— Read more at Sweet scent of roses allows unsafe water to be sniffed out at Chemistry World.

Several countries are considering cataloging smells as part of their national heritage. In 2001, the Ministry of the Environment in Japan selected the country’s 100 most significant fragrances. The fields of lavender in Furano city top the list; the ocean fog of the coastal Kushiro region is fourth. The list also includes handmade soba shops, an old bookstore and rainfall in rice paddy fields. Australia’s Burra Charter, which guides the designation of historic landmarks, includes smell as a crucial feature of heritage. And UNESCO is considering adding the perfume-making practices of Grasse, France—home to the flowers responsible for Chanel No. 5—to its list of intangible cultural heritage.

— Read more at George Washington Stank Here: Emerging Science Charts Our Olfactory Heritage at Newsweek. Most of the article is about the Historic Book Odour Wheel developed by the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, which we already referenced here.