… not quite like walking like an Egyptian but close.

I used to wonder how my mother used to unerringly find out that any one in the family had been out drinking. After all none of us reached home reeking of the stuff. She used the same tactics to sniff out cigarettes hidden away. One can understand getting caught with lit cigarettes. But, cancer sticks hidden away in cupboards should be fairly undetected. Dad and I used to joke about how mom in the anti-narcotics squad will be a great national asset. I used to often wonder how she managed to trap us so very well. And now i know why

Humans can follow scent trails across a field in the same way that dogs can – and they improve with practice – a intriguing new field study has revealed.

Jess Porter and Noam Sobel at the University of California in Berkeley, US, and colleagues tested whether 32 people were able to follow a 10-metre-long scent trail of chocolate essence through open grass using only their noses. Two-thirds of them could.

They then trained four of the subjects three times a day for three days over a two week period to see whether they improved with practice. After training the subjects followed the trail more accurately and at more than double the speed.

The study doesn’t look at difference in genders, or the impact of marriage or childbirth on sniffing efficacy. But, give it time

Tags: Science