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Category Archives: Biology
Our Pungent History: Sweat, Perfume, and the Scent of Death
By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — March 8th, 2016 Consider the sweet, intoxicating smell of a rose: While it might seem superficial, the bloom’s lovely odor is actually an evolutionary tactic meant to ensure the plant’s survival by attracting pollinators from miles away. Since ancient times, … Continue reading
The human sense of smell: It’s stronger than we think
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ru-th050517.php Rutgers researcher debunks 19th century myth that animals are better at sniffing out scents RUTGERS UNIVERSITY When it comes to our sense of smell, we have been led to believe that animals win out over humans: No way can … Continue reading
Odorant receptors of Drosophila are sensitive to the molecular volume of odorants
www.nature.com/articles/srep25103 Majid Saberi & Hamed Seyed-allaei Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 25103 (2016) doi:10.1038/srep25103 Abstract Which properties of a molecule define its odor? This is a basic yet unanswered question regarding the olfactory system. The olfactory system of Drosophila has a repertoire … Continue reading
Flower Aroma Is a Honeybee’s Chill Pill
http://www.livescience.com/53188-flower-aroma-calms-angry-bees.html by Christopher Wanjek Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. And, it seems, flowers can calm an aggressive honeybee. Scientists in France and Australia have found that angry honey bees are less likely to attack when exposed to certain … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Fragrance, In The Garden, Perfumery, Uncategorized, Under the Tree
Tagged fragrance, Garden, Plants, Scent, smell
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Underpinnings of drought tolerance in plants
Genome-wide analysis elucidates drought-tolerance system in Arabidopsis Date: June 11, 2015 Source: American Society of Plant Biologists Summary: Drought is one of the most urgent environmental crises facing the world today. Scientists have now used a genome-wide approach to studying … Continue reading
The truth about why things smell bad: Vibrating molecules
http://io9.com/5761442/the-truth-about-why-things-smell-bad-vibrating-molecules For over a century, our sense of smell has been explained with the “lock and key” hypothesis, which holds that each odor molecule has a particular shape that allows it to fit into particular smell receptors in the nose. … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Fragrance, Under the Tree
Tagged fragrance, olfactory, Scent, smell
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How do the mechanics of smell work?
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2989/how-do-the-mechanics-of-smell-work A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD How do the mechanics of smell work? April 22, 2008 Dear Straight Dope: When an aroma reaches whatever internal sinus patch is responsible for the sense of smell, what … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Fragrance, Perfumery
Tagged brain, cells, hippocampus, olfactory, Scent, smell
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Making Sense of Scents: Why Odors Spark Memory (Podcast)
http://www.livescience.com/50525-why-odors-spark-memory-podcast.html Wendy Suzuki is a professor of neural science and psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University (NYU). A popular speaker, she is a regular presenter at the World Science Festival and TEDx, and is frequently … Continue reading
Scent Can Be a Powerful Memory Trigger
http://psychology.about.com/od/memory/ss/ten-facts-about-memory_8.htm#step-heading Have you ever noticed that a particular scent can bring forth a rush of vivid memories? The smell of cookies baking might remind you of spending time at your grandmother’s house when you were a small child. The scent … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Perfumery
Tagged amygdala, brain, hippocampus, Memory, olfactory, Scent, smell
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Your Very Weird, Very Personal Sense of Smell
http://nautil.us/blog/your-very-weird-very-personal-sense-of-smell We’re used to the idea that some among us are colorblind, perceiving the world differently because of a quirk in their genetics. And it’s well-known that teenagers and young adults … Continue reading
