"'People born without a sense of smell breathe differently'"

People born with no sense of smell breathe differently from those with one, a study has found, possibly helping explain links between perception of odour problems and health issues.

- Nicola Davis Science correspondent

While some have dismissed a sense of smell as unimportant - Charles Darwin said it was "of extremely slight service" to humans - studies have associated its loss with depression, feelings of isolation and even an increased risk of early death.

Prof Noam Sobel, a co-author of the research, from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said: "There's this notion that this sense is completely unimportant, and yet if you lose it then a lot of bad things happen. So it seems like a paradox."