Congenital anosmia, the chronic inability to smell, is a rare condition — approximately 1 in 10,000 people had it according to 2016 figures.

But now, millions more have lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. Many haven't regained all of it.
https://t.co/fLri7CV6Rg

At a minimum, the pandemic has highlighted the everyday struggles of people living with what some have termed an “invisible disability,” one that makes life more difficult but might not be easily detected.
https://t.co/fLri7CV6Rg
The increased attention afforded to smell loss as a chronic condition has prompted new studies, piquing the interest of olfactory researchers bent on understanding more about the coronavirus.
https://t.co/fLri7CV6Rg
“I was made to feel invisible because people don’t understand, so a little part of me has had a lot of validating experiences” during the pandemic, Alex Pieraccini said. “Another part of me is like ‘Why did it take this long for it to be a visible thing?’”
https://t.co/fLri7CV6Rg

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I'm going to do two history threads on Ethiopia, one on its ancient history, one on its modern story (1800 to today). 🇪🇹

I'll begin with the ancient history ... and it goes way back. Because modern humans - and before that, the ancestors of humans - almost certainly originated in Ethiopia. 🇪🇹 (sub-thread):


The first likely historical reference to Ethiopia is ancient Egyptian records of trade expeditions to the "Land of Punt" in search of gold, ebony, ivory, incense, and wild animals, starting in c 2500 BC 🇪🇹


Ethiopians themselves believe that the Queen of Sheba, who visited Israel's King Solomon in the Bible (c 950 BC), came from Ethiopia (not Yemen, as others believe). Here she is meeting Solomon in a stain-glassed window in Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity Church. 🇪🇹


References to the Queen of Sheba are everywhere in Ethiopia. The national airline's frequent flier miles are even called "ShebaMiles". 🇪🇹