Eli5: Why do decaying animals smell worse than decaying plants?
In: 1
Because our noses are especially sensitive to the smells released by decaying animals. Humans are particularly sensitive to, and averse to, *cadaverine* and *putrecine*, two chemicals released by decaying animal matter.
Early primates who were either not sensitive to those smells, or not repulsed by them, tended to die out, thus not becoming our ancestors.
Decaying plant matter also smells bad, but the health effects of eating spoilt meat can be much more dire than eating spoilt plants, thus possibly explaining the difference in the strength of the reactions.
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