Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered what amounts to a reflexive negativity bias in our sense of smell, showing that bad smells are processed rapidly and unconsciously. The olfactory bulb can process and send a signal to the motor cortex in 300 milliseconds, alerting us to rotten food before we swallow or of the presence of predators. The processing speed is much faster for smells that alert us to danger than for those with positive connotations.

Meanwhile, we tried a new trail last week only to realize that a family of bears must be using it daily—and why.

another trail
downwind of the dumpsters
bear scat