Monthly Archives: August 2008
Birth control pills affect scent-based attraction
A recent UK study found that birth control pills impact a woman’s likelihood of sniffing out a genetically compatible mate. While it’s considered best, genetically and reproductively speaking, to choose a mate whose scent (determined by genes) is different, women … Continue reading
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Study looks at effects of “olfactory imagery”
Imagine a scent you’re familiar with. Now, actually go find something with that scent and sniff it. Chances are, imagining the scent caused the same reaction in your respiratory system as actually sniffing it did. This is the result of … Continue reading
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Scent machines control crowds in Israel
For something entirely different, take a look at a scenting application underway in Israel. Border police on the West Bank have starting using scent machines to control crowds. The machines generate a foul-smelling liquid, and have already been used against … Continue reading
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Electric shock improves odor perception
It sure seems like we’re discovering an exponential number of fascinating new things about the olfactory system these days. An article that came out of the recent Symposium on Olfaction and Taste has been forwarded to me at least a … Continue reading
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Aromatic alarm clock wakes you with bacon
The scent of bacon always reminds me of lazy Sundays, when Dad would be home watching wrestling on TV, and mom would be making pancakes and bacon. Several decades later, thanks to some freaky genius designers, I can wake up … Continue reading
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Olfactory mapping technique created by Israeli scientists
If odors were on a map, the way colors are “mapped” on a rainbow, which scents would be where? Israeli scientists have created an olfactory map based on analysis of 450 different scents. The map uses a 32-dimensional mathematical model, … Continue reading
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Olfactory processing defects mark predisposition to schizophrenia
Olfactory defects can indicate susceptibility to schizophrenia, according to a new study. Unaffected first-degree relatives of people with schizophrenia were tested and compared to mentally healthy individuals with no family history of the disease. Findings revealed marked impairments in olfactory … Continue reading
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