What Can Covid-19 Teach Us About the Mysteries of Smell?

Losing smell is terrifying.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 29, 2021 "People are unaware smell is important until they lose it. And then they're terrified." We think that smell is less important to us than our other senses only because we're fooling ourselves. After all, you wouldn't eat a beautiful cake if it smelled like sewage, but you would probably try some ugly gloop that smelled like cinnamon. Smell scientists estimate that Covid could kick off a sort of global reckoning, forcing our conscious minds to recognize what our brains have known all along. In this week's cover story, Brooke Jarvis reports on how the virus's strangest symptom — losing the ability to smell — has opened new doors to understanding our most neglected sense. Stephanie Gonot for The New York Times Feature What Can Covid-19 Teach Us About the Mysteries of Smell? The virus's strangest symptom has opened new doors to understanding our most neglected sense. By Brooke Jarvis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE FROM THE MAGAZINE Mark Peterson/Redux, for The New York Times Feature How Armed Protests Are Creating a New Kind of Politics Americans have often ignored the political implications of the country's enormous arsenal of privately owned, military-style weapons. Did Jan. 6 change that? By Charles Homans   Feature Who's Making All Those Scam Calls? Every year, tens of millions of Americans collectively lose billions of dollars to scam callers. Where does the other end of the line lead? By Yudhijit Bhattacharjee Illustration by Hudson Christie Feature Why Is Big Tech Policing Speech? Because the Government Isn't Deplatforming President Trump showed that the First Amendment is broken — but not in the way his supporters think. By Emily Bazelon Illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Teenagers Made Ninja a Gaming Superstar. He Has a Message for Parents. "You want to know who your kid is? Listen to him when he's playing video games when he thinks you're not." By David Marchese Stay in touch: Follow us on Twitter (@NYTmag) or check us out on Instagram. Appreciated this email? Forward it to a friend and help us grow. Loved a story? Hated it? Write us a letter at magazine@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here to get the magazine newsletter. Listen to narrated versions of our articles every week. Download Audm for iPhone or Android. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The New York Times Magazine from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018