33. Sense of scent ~ second nature, beyond words

Of all the ways we relate to the natural world it could be said that the human sense of smell is by turns our most powerful sense and yet also our weakest link with the rest of Nature. Scents can transport us, can help us form enduring memories, proves the link between our olfactory system and our limbic system.

The human nose and brain can detect 1 trillion different odours yet we have inadequate language to describe them, often amalgamate them into collective smells (“it smells like a forest”) and struggle to quieten our mind in Nature and become one with the odours. With contributions from Ella Roberts, Sam Lee, Devi Singh and Gina Gow, we attempt to make sense of scents.

Music from Colin Williams

 

Some of the ideas and references we make in this podcast can be found here:

Jasmine 
Tom Robbins 
Sam Lee
Nature
Moroccan souk
Herb Robert  
Peak District
Patrick Süskind  
Freshwater Mint
Meadowsweet  
Adam Thorpe
Wiltshire Downs  
Hiraeth  
Cistus
Wild Thyme  
Cairngorms  
Cuban cigar  
Fern Schumer Chapman  
Balsam Poplar  
Tamarack Song  
Aldo Leopold  
Red Fox
Henry Beston  
Sagebrush
Yellowstone  
Western Meadowlark  
White Sage  
Bay of Fundy
Bougainvillaea  
Fungi
Amanita
Neroli
Rosemary