Scientists identify how humans detect the smell of body odour and musk

The research confirms what we know intuitively: some people are more sensitive to certain smells. Photograph: Laurence Monneret/Getty Images

When you are packed on a commuter train, the body odour of fellow passengers can at times be hard to ignore. Now scientists have shed light on how our noses pick up on the stench.

While different scents can be highly evocative, only a fraction of our 400 or so odour receptors have been shown to be involved in the perception of specific smells.