They concluded that the peripheral code combines precise coding with fuzzy, stochastic responses in which neurons show apparent unpredictability in their responses to a given odour.

They now believe that fuzzy coding occurs in other organisms, is translated into differing degrees of activation in the brain, and forms a key component of odour recognition in the first stages of olfactory processing.

Dr McCrohan explains: “The nose gives us insight into the brain - it’s not a computer, it’s not precise, it’s fuzzy. This may be a consequence of way the receptors are built and must be used in some way as part of the process by which the brain perceives an almost infinite variety of odours.