The nose knows according to the experts. Scientists have created a test that uses smell to measure the degradation of  historical documents and old books.

That musty old book smell that brings a fond smile to your face? Well, that’s the byproduct of hundreds of of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being released into the air.

The new test,  a process called material degradomics,  analyzes these gas emissions to track the degradation of paper so that the books can be preserved in the best manner possible. Traditionally samples are  removed from the books and papers causing damage to the documents. Material degradomics avoids this.