Editing Olfactory system (section)

{{Short description|Sensory system used for smelling}}
{{about|the olfactory system in vertebrates, particularly humans|the sense of smell in other lifeforms|Olfaction|machines|Machine olfaction}}
{{Infobox anatomy 
| Name        = Olfactory system 
| Latin       =  
| Image       = Head Olfactory Nerve Labeled.png
| Caption     = Components of the olfactory system
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      =
| Vein        =
| Nerve       =
| Lymph       =
}}

The '''olfactory system''', is the [[sensory nervous system|sensory system]] used for the [[sense of smell]] (olfaction). Olfaction is one of the [[special sense]]s directly associated with specific organs. Most mammals and reptiles have a main olfactory system and an [[accessory olfactory system]]. The main olfactory system detects airborne substances, while the accessory system senses fluid-phase stimuli.

The senses of smell and taste ([[gustatory system]]) are often referred to together as the [[chemosensory]] system, because they both give the brain information about the chemical composition of objects through a process called [[transduction (physiology)|transduction]].