The latest studies of Hirac Gurden were published.
There’s an intense dialogue between the world’s smells and our brains. Today, neuroscience can interpret this dialogue, revealing its secrets. Freshly cut grass on a summer morning, the aroma of coffee wafting through the kitchen, the scent of a basil plant touched by your fingers; the saltiness of the seashore, the warm bread, the storm-washed asphalt, a drop of gasoline: some smells give us a special meaning and can excite us or send shivers down our spines, transporting us to exotic continents and bygone eras, from the scented baths of ancient Rome to the most intimate memories of childhood.
All this because smell is a sophisticated and fascinating sense, a bridge between our brain and the material and symbolic universe in which we are immersed.
And finally, science can introduce us to the secrets of this sense. Smells speak a mysterious language that accompanies each moment of our lives: with every breath, we absorb invisible molecules that the brain translates into memories, emotions, and instinctive reactions.
The sense of smell is currently the focus of scientific research highlighting its centrality to human experience. It is the first sense to develop in the fetus and one of the few directly linked to the brain areas responsible for memory and emotion. Recent studies show that its loss can be a warning sign for neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Olfactory rehabilitation techniques are being used for those who lack it, especially following respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.
Hirac Gurden, a neuroscientist specializing in sensory cognition, explores the profound link between smells and the mind, revealing how fragrances influence our daily choices: in a tale that blends history, biology, and psychology, he guides us to discover a sense that interprets the world and influences our most intimate desires.
Hirac Gurden is the director of neuroscience research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, where he studies the brain’s representation of odors, as well as the link between smell and nutrition in the context of diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
“The world, how smells act on minds and emotions ” eBook and Paperback, 192 pages, Touring Editore 2025.