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.