The unifying theme of my research is adaptation to ecological challenges—e.g., migration to a new environment, climate change. Adaptation to an environment is driven by biology, ecology, behavior, and culture. My work in human olfaction is centered on the evolutionary trajectory shaping human populations across space and time. I’ll cover three pillars of my work in this lecture. First, I’ll present my recent work smelling through Neandertal and Denisovan noses for the first time in 50,000 years. Second, I’ll present my work smelling in the wild or how our sense of smell operates in the built environment. This work will include some new research on human genetic variation in olfactory sensitivity. Third, I’ll present my work on sensory inequities, a term I use to describe how sensory environments vary, often due to differences in socio-economic status (as intersected by other demographic markers such as race/caste/ethnicity/tribe, gender, sexual orientation, and ability). This work is both theoretical and practical, with the latter aspect focused on olfactory impairment and COVID-19.