chemistry

How the Nose Knows

Submitted by editor on Sat, 07/04/2009 - 20:56.
in

NoseKnows.jpgFifth-Century Greek philosopher Democritus, the putative founder of modern science and atomic theory, who laughed constantly and lived more than one hundred years, once had occasion to ponder our sense of smell. It was, he theorized, the result of our nose reading the shape of airborne particles. Democritus called these particles “atoms,” and he thought sweet atoms were “round and of a good size,” while sour ones were “bulky, jagged, and many angled.”

This “shapist” theory of smell, or olfaction, continues to this day. It boils down to the essential concept of tiny pieces of things being “read” by receptors in our nose. Democritus called these piece “atoms,” but he had no sense of atomic theory in the modern sense, which asserts that these pieces are, in fact, molecules. But that's just a theory, and the truth is that no one really knows how our sense of smell works. The shapist theory has many inconsistencies and demonstrated limitations. Molecules with the same shape produce different smells; inversely, two molecules with completely different shapes can produce the same smell (sandalwood).

The Chemistry of Love

Submitted by editor on Sun, 03/01/2009 - 07:10.
in

kiss.jpgThe first time you kiss somebody, you may well be caught up in romance and various libidinal tides, but your brain and olfactory system are hard at work, gathering information to decide whether to take it to the "next level." At least that's how the assembled sex-starved panelists and journalists at this year's American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago saw the process.

"You're not just kissing," said one scientist suggestively, "you are likely absorbing information about your partner's immune system, looking for a good match should you two procreate."

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