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Letter: Smell and taste could be considered a single sense

Published 12 February 2025

From Sam Edge, Ringwood, Hampshire, UK

When it comes to the importance of our sense of smell, perhaps the majority of the taste of food and drink is predicated upon the aromas we experience before and during the act of consumption. This is why anosmia can lead to nutritional deficiencies, when all food seems too bland. In fact, one could argue that smell and taste should be considered a single sense since they are so closely related, both in terms of the sensory apparatus and the brain systems that process the data (25 January, p 23).

Issue no. 3530 published 15 February 2025

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