Overview

When award-winning reporter Paola Totaro lost her sense of smell to Covid in March 2020, her world changed and dulled in an instant. Trapped in a sensory vacuum without fragrance or flavour, she embarked on a journey of discovery to unravel the mysteries – and eccentricities – of the fifth sense.   Our sense of smell shapes our everyday experiences in ways we often don’t even notice. Its loss can transform our lives – affecting our emotional wellbeing, our relationships, our ability to interpret the world around us – and yet it has long been regarded as the least important of our senses. But Covid changed everything. As it became clear loss of smell was a key symptom and the number of sufferers exploded, olfactory researchers suddenly found themselves thrust into the spotlight, with more attention, subjects and funding than ever before. Presented with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they were able at last to start unlocking the mysteries of our  ‘Cinderella’ sense.  On the Scent is the story of a quest for answers, from the theories of ancient philosophers to the cutting-edge laboratories of 21st-century neuroscience. It looks at the extraordinary experiences of patients and scientists alike, offering a unique glimpse into the world of those born without smell as well as those who lose it; exploring how smell can be a key indicator of declining physical health; and offering up the latest research that can offer hope to the millions of people worldwide who have suffered sensory loss. 

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9781783966424

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Reviews

"“Engaging and hopeful” New Scientist   “Genuinely interesting …There were quite a few of those 'ooh, that's interesting' moments … If you have lost your sense of smell or had it distorted - something that far more of us have experienced in the past couple of years as a result of Covid - I would strongly recommend this book.” Popular Science   “An enthralling, elegantly written, and poignant exploration of our most neglected sense, one whose role in human life – in memory, emotion, attachment – has suddenly been made vivid by loss.” Peter Godfrey-Smith, author of the bestselling OTHER MINDS ""Such an engaging and pleasurable read which should do a lot to lift smell out of the shadows ... packed with insights and observations that bring this topic to life for everyone"" Professor Barry Smith, Centre for the Study of the Senses, University of London ""Destined to be a bible for anyone who has lost their sense of smell, whether from Covid or not"" Chrissi Kelly, AbScent ""You don’t need to have lost your sense of smell to love this book, but if you have you will devour it... it will profoundly change the way you think about our ability to smell and how its loss affects our lives. This is science writing at its very best."" Fiona Fox, author of BEYOND THE HYPE: The inside story of science's biggest media controversies ”Of the three major senses – sight, hearing and smell – smell is the most neglected. But it got its revenge in Covid. Paola Totaro and Robert Wainwright have written a fascinating book, alerting us to so many aspects of what we take for granted.” David Hare"

Author Information

Paola Totaro is an award-winning news reporter, editor and former President of the Foreign Press Association in London. She has written for The New York Times, Guardian, Independent, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.   Robert Wainwright is a prize-winning Australian author and journalist. His non-fiction titles include the international bestseller Sheila (Allen & Unwin, 2014) and The Maverick Mountaineer, which won the Times Biography of the Year at the 2017 British Sports Book Awards.  

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