Lab-Grown Nose Gives A Whiff Of How Ancient Humans Used To Smell

The first human species lived a very different life from us, from how they ate, to their family structures and down to how they interacted with each other and the world around them. But did their sense of smell differ from ours as well? Scientists think so.
 
In order to see (or smell) into the lives of our ancient ancestors, researchers at the Paris Saclay University and Duke University tried to grow a “nose” to recreate how these ancient hominins interpreted odors.
 
The study, first published in iScience, was based on genes from Neanderthals and Denisovans—a species that primarily lived in Russia and Southeast Asia but who often mingled and bred with other modern humans.
 
The nose in question is composed of odor receptors based on genomes from different species. The team was able to grow 30 odor receptors from each hominin which they could compare against that of modern humans.

These receptors were exposed to all types of scents, and data on how each responded was cataloged.
 
Genes from the Neanderthals showed that they almost share the same sense of smell as homosapiens do. The key difference is that their noses were a lot less sensitive. One good thing from this was that they were not as susceptible to foul odors such as sweat and urine, which would have greatly benefited them during a less hygienic time. On the other hand, sweeter fragrances from flowers or spices didn’t smell as vital to them.
 
When looking at Denisovans, the results varied greatly from Neanderthals. For one, they could sense sulfurous smells almost four times better. Balsamic fragrances, which encapsulate vanilla and chocolate, affected them three to four times more. An exciting find was how sensitive they were to honey. It leads the team to theorize that this might have been their favorite food.
 
Backing this theory up is the fact that the team notes that olfactory receptors evolve in humans according to fitness and the need to hunt for food. This might explain why certain scents stick out to them and others don’t.

All in all, the team hopes these findings will provide more insight into understanding odor sensitivity in modern people.
 
 
 
[via New Atlas and Duke University, Photo 16882486 © Marcos Souza | Dreamstime.com]