Penn State University Gas Dynamics Lab, Gary Settles, et al.
For Best of Web 2026, I chose this video from the early 2000s displaying canine olfaction. Olfaction can be defined as “the sense of smell”, (Meriam Webster), and it is displayed here through Schlieren photography. Schlieren photography is generally used to showcase fluid flow not typically visible to the human eye (NASA), and I found the use of that technique to visualize olifcation both scientifically and aesthetically valuable.
There are a couple of different dogs who worked during this test, and it is interesting to see how each dog sniffs differently. In particular, I found the visual of the first canine breathing in the most striking because you can see air rapidly entering the nostril of the dog. This data may be valuable in improving and understanding animal behavior for trained animals such as service animals or those in K9 units.
Sources:
Settles G.S. (2005). Sniffers: Fluid-dynamic sampling for olfactory trace detection in nature and homeland security – the 2004 Freeman Scholar Lecture. J. Fluids Engineering-T. ASME 127 (2):189-218
Settles G.S., Kester D.A., Dodson-Dreibelbis L.J. (2003) The external aerodynamics of canine olfaction. In: Barth F.G., Humphrey J.A.C., Secomb T.W. (eds) Sensors and Sensing in Biology and Engineering. Springer, pp 323-355
Craven B.A. et al., (2007) Reconstruction and morphometric analysis of the nasal airway of the dog (Canis familiaris) and implications regarding olfactory airflow. Anatomical Record 290 (11):1325-1340
Craven B.A., Paterson E.G., Settles G.S. (2010) The fluid dynamics of canine olfaction: unique nasal airflow patterns as an explanation of macrosmia. J. Royal Soc. Interface 7 (47):933-943
Lawson M.J., Craven B.A., Paterson E.G., Settles G.S. (2012) A computational study of odorant transport and deposition in the canine nasal cavity: implications for olfaction. Chemical Senses 37 (6):553-566
“Olfaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfaction. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.
“Schlieren Flow Visualization.” NASA, NASA, 13 May 2021, www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/tunvschlrn.html. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.
6 Comments. Leave new
2nd Prize – The colors are amazing, and the visuals are insightful. Very clear framing as well being detailed.
First Prize
I feel like so many examples of flow visualization are of fully human made setups or nature on a grand scale. Being able to connect it to something tangible and living is very nice and fascinating to observe.
Vote 2 – I think olfactory-like sensing has potential to aid in many medical applications. Schlieren is a great tool in this case to see the various air currents these puppies are producing. I would be curious to see how it would look for a fully grown grizzly bear.
Second Prize: This shows how powerful the schlieren method is in visualizing flows that we otherwise couldn’t see with a naked eye. It’s awesome to have this visibility on a process we and our pets participate in daily and maybe don’t even consider as a fluid flow.
First Prize
I think this use of Schlieren is really cool because we would normally never be able to see the air moving when the dogs sniff. I also really liked the video because it explained that dogs have a really good sense of smell which everyone knows but it actually explained why which isn’t common knowledge.
Third Prize
This is such an awesome thing to focus on using schlieren. I like how it shows how each dog may be breathing and uses its sense of smell in a way that humans would never usually be able to see.