• TheOldRazzleDazzle@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    There is an episode of The Dollup podcast about ninjas in 1800s (I think) Japan and in one part they talk about how the ninja would often have to wait around all day or more hiding to assassinate someone. They way they could tell how long they’d been waiting was by the change of the “dominant” nostril.

    Apparently even when not stuffed up the air passes thru one nostril more easy than the other when you breathe. It switches about every 40 minutes.

    • rtxn@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      It’s also a mechanism to enhance our sense of smell. Some odors are slower to bind to olfactory receptors, so they need a slow, restricted airflow to properly be absorbed.