Olfactory Fact #141: Not All Sweat is Created Equal

A Rice University study which subjected the brains of women to MRI scans while they sniffed the sweat of men who were watching educational videos–then again while they sniffed the sweat of men watching more titillating videos–showed a markedly higher reaction to the sexual sweat in two regions of the women’s brains: the orbitofrontal cortex (an olfactory area) and the fusiform gyrus (responsible for face/body recognition).

The Rise of Decoffeenated Coffee

It was last June that the Whiff!-Guys told you about a study conducted at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology which concluded that just the scent of coffee can reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain. An examination of the brains of sleep-deprived mice revealed reduced levels of mRNA (messenger molecules that indicate when a gene is being expressed) for eleven genes important to brain function. When the mice were exposed to the aroma of coffee, the mRNA for nine of the genes was restored to near-normal levels–and pushed to above normal levels for two!

In the eight months since, an impressive number of products have appeared on the scene designed to give you that daily java-jolt without the actual caffeine. Delightful Scented Candles, for instance, carries a line of coffee-scented aromatherapy candles which includes such exotic eye-openers as Caramel Macciato and Hot Orange Danish. Noting that coffee is also a free radical scavenger, an exfoliant, an astringent, a UVA/UVB screen, and a great deodorizing cleanser, Body Coffee offers a complete line of personal-care coffee items including body washes, moisturizers, and lip balms. There are coffee-scented ink pens and alarm clocks, car fresheners and heating pads, laser printers and jewelry. Coffeenies invites you to “enjoy a little brew-haha” with a coffee-scented line that ranges from keychains and plush-toys to dish towels and retail displays.

Of course, for the traditionalists in our midst, coffee-scented coffee is still available, but where’s the adventure in that?

Digital Marijuana Scent? Dude, You’ve Got Mail

If your image of the average stoner resembles any character from any Cheech & Chong movie, you may be underestimating the sophistication of the contemporary cannabis conneseur. A visit to any one of the numerous marijuana social networking sites which have sprung from the advent of the internet indicates a mastery of agricultural theory that would make most farmers stand up and take notice. The discussions on every element of successful cultivation from macro and micro nutrients to hydroponics versus aeroponics to light cycles and spectrums can get technical enough to leave most of us blinking in confusion and re-thinking that notion that these guys’ brains-on-drugs bear any resemblance to the infamous egg in the skillet of the Reagan years.

When it comes to the subject of “odor,” marijuana proponents are generally more interested in concealment than advertisement. But an apparent chance-stumbling upon DigiScent’s excellent Digital Scent Technology Blog has at least one member at weedforums.com thinking outside the ozone-generated-carbon-scrubbed grow-box (I’m not kidding, the technology behind modern marijuana cultivation fairly boggles the mind, and, remember, these guys are stoned!) and contemplating the value of digital scent marketing with respect to his craft.

“Isn’t this incredible?” gushes poster-Pa_kush42. “We need this as a new feature on W-F. ‘Post your bud scent.’”

Member-bakayurei is maybe toking on his paranoid strain–”So like the nose thing in the richie rich movie? i see cops using smell guns in place of dogs in the future”–but gets hold of himself quickly–”no wait that’s not it at all, it’s the other way around.. yea, i really like this idea.”

No such misgivings from Stonergasm. “That is insane ive always wanted to post the smell of weed once i got it especially blueberry for everyone to smell… that would be awesome.”

And, of course, discussion on the actual logistics of digital scent transmission, including this simple but fairly accurate summation by Moth. “That’d be exactly how to do it. Different enamtiomers of all the different compounds that we could smell, in the right proportion, would take a little work, but definitely possible.”

Of course, this is not to suggest that the Cheech Marin School of Thought has vanished completely from current cannabis culture, and I find that somehow inexplicably comforting. “I can’t wait for the day I’m able to electronically send my fart to friends and family,” beams Inschizzo. “‘You’ve just received an E-Fart!’”

How DO You Smell?

We live in an extremely smelly world. Even with our relatively unimpressive olfactory equipment, the human animal is capable of detecting around 10,000 distinct odors. And it goes without saying that we don’t encounter these odors one at a time, as we might in a controlled laboratory experiment. In the real world, we move through constantly shifting and drifting plumes of odor molecules in ever-varying sequences and combinations. How, then, can we–and our fellow creatures–detect and encode this ever-present, ever-changing information in such seemingly impossible quantities?
Read more

The Humanization of Your Brand

Does your own brand contain the APS proposition and subsequent multi-sensory elements that enhance that proposition? Does your package or product contain the elements of a good script? By seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching your product—does it create anticipation, or contain the element of surprise? What’s the toy in your Cracker Jack box? Read more

This French Fry has a Delicate Bouquet…

What is it about the smell of french fries that we find so irresistible? According to a new study commissioned by England’s Potato Council for National Chip Week, the attraction lies in a surprisingly complex combination of aromas produced by the popular potato side dish, including onion, cocoa, flowers, butterscotch, and ironing boards.

Ironing boards?

Ironing boards. “Whether oven-cooked or fried, the humble chip doesn’t smell of just chips,” explains Leeds University’s Dr. Graham Clayton, lead researcher for the study. “The aroma is much more complex and probably explains why chips are everyone’s favourite. We found lightly cooked or undercooked chips contained three simple aromas like bitter cocoa. Extra cooking produced up to nine different aromas.”

The importance of recognizing the ironing board quotient of the aroma wafting from British chip shops isn’t altogether clear, but Dr. Clayton offers a possible outcome. “Perhaps these findings will see chips treated like wine in the future, with fans turning into buffs as they impress friends with descriptions of their favorite fries.”

More News in Home Scentertainment!

As we know from Chapter 7 of Whiff!, the idea of scented entertainment is an old one, dating back to 1916 when the enterprising owner of the Family Theater in Forest City, Pennsylvania, got the keen idea to place a wad of rose oil-soaked cotton in front of an electric fan during a newsreel about the Rose Bowl game. Although the name didn’t stick for another 23 years, Smell-O-Vision was thus born.

Massive changes and growths in the technology and popularity of Smell-O-Vision have taken place in the 93 years since, particularly since the advent of digital and dry-air technology managed to solve the stubborn problem of dissipating one scent before introduction of the next. Among the newest generation of promising scentertainment devices is the Smellit, brainchild of Portuguese designer Nuno Teixeira.

Geared for the home-DVD market, this clever concept device works similarly to the way an inkjet printer works, but instead of ink cartridges, the Smellit is loaded with 118 individual scent cartridges which mix and release appropriate amount of aromas which are distributed by a fan. To work with TV, Smellit has a built-in “smell card” that decodes scent information embedded in and passed along from a DVD. About 10-20 seconds before a particular scene, the device reads and decodes information embedded in the DVD and mixes the appropriate scent, so that its release is perfectly coordinated to reach the noses of spectators in conjunction with the appropriate scene.

Although Smellit currently relies on digital codes embedded in participating DVDs to trigger its “smell card,” the looming digital conversion may soon make the device completely compatible with regular television broadcasting–definitely a sweet-smelling prospect for advertisers!

Smell Less, Live Longer?

The effects of a low-calorie diet on the longevity of most animals is widely known in scientific circles: Caloric restriction extends animal lifespans by activating cellular protection mechanisms. But, according to a study into the lifespans of roundworms, just restricting the smell of those calorie-filled foodstuffs may turn the trick!

Three years ago, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis discovered that a class of anticonvulsant medications increased the lifespan of a roundworm, but prior to concluding their new study, they had no idea why. “We’ve learned that the drugs inhibit neurons in the worm’s Read more

Flower Power X 10!

If the roses by any name just aren’t smelling all that sweet these days, help is on the way. A team of scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found a way not only to genetically enhance the scent of flowers by as much as ten-fold, but to implant a scent in flowers that don’t have one.

In research that was published recently in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, Professor Alexander Vainstein and his research assistant Michal Moyal Ben-Tzvi succeeded in enhancing the scent of a flower by an astounding ten-fold, and also causing it to emit a scent all day and all night - irrespective of the natural rhythm of scent production. The development, which has been patented by Yissum, the Hebrew University’s technology transfer company, is intended to be applied to other agricultural produce.

Utilizing natural components will increase and change not only the smell of fruit and vegetables, but also influence the commercial appeal of a wide array of produce.

The flower industry will also be interested in this development, explains Professor Vainstein. “Many flowers lost their scent over many years of breeding. Recent developments will help to create flowers with increased scent as well as producing new scent components in the flowers.”

Over a third of participants in Flowers and Plants Association surveys stated that scent influenced their choice of flower purchase. Floral scents are also one of the most popular smells and the perfume industry expends a great deal of effort trying to reproduce the authentic fragrance of fresh flowers.

Israel is the Middle East’s flower-producing superpower, with flower and plant exports bringing upwards of $200 million into its economy annually. And Professor Vainstein’s lab is the only one in the world that researches both the scent and color of flowers. His greenhouse at the Hebrew University’s Rehovot campus is full of genetically engineered flowers whose architecture, color and scent the researchers are trying to alter.

An Olfactory Adventure in Paris

Combining science with culture to create an experience both informative and entertaining, Paris’ olfactory exhibition Né pour sentir & les nouveaux nez (”Born with a sense of smell” and “the young noses”) offers a delightful way to rediscover your sense of smell. Running through May 3 at Le Palais de la Découverte, the interactive exhibit allows visitors to follow their noses through over 90 aromas centered around 3 themes:

• “I eat with my nose” to understand the importance of the sense of smell with regard to food, through the aromas of fruits, vegetables, wines and spices and to discover the skilful mechanism of our olfactory system, from our mouth to our brain to our nose!
• “I perceive aromas and I create them” based on the sources of fragrances and the secrets of perfume-making.
• “I use my brain to smell” reveals the strong links between olfaction and the other senses, memory and emotions.

Recognizing the importance of smell to children, the exhibit also features a Nouveaux Nez (Young Noses) area reserved for children between ages 3-6. This section offers 7 olfactory modules directly linked to the everyday environment of children, including everything from afternoon tea and plushy animals to bathroom odors, and allows smells to be associated with colors and tactile sensations (meaning, yes, children CAN touch the displays).

Documents distributed at the entrance will outline the exhibition and make sure that visitors smell right–uh–correctly.

Next Page »