Olfactory Mathematics

The lack of adequate equipment to study the motion of the planets in the 16th Century did not prevent Nicolaus Copernicus from accurately demonstrating that the sun was not, in fact, at the center of the cosmos. Through mathematics, the brilliant astronomer was able to disprove the convoluted logic of his contemporaries by mapping the trajectories of the planets correctly if and only if the sun - not the earth - was placed at the center.
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When we Smell, we Feel

“Mama’s perfume…is a scent that is softly shocking and deeply moving. A scent that disturbs me and delights me. It smells like ripe pears, vetiver, a bit of violet, and something else - something spicy, almost biting and exotic. Once the scent caught me on the street in Greenwich Village. I stopped in my tracks and looked around. Where was it coming from? A shop? The trees? A passerby? I could not tell. I only know the smell made me cry.”
-Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Sidda Walker was not experiencing a breakdown when she burst into tears on the streets of New York, she was merely reacting normally to a phenomenon the Whiff Guys have dubbed endorphin branding™. Read more

Scents and the City

From Mystery Methane Scents to Decidedly Good Scents to Inexplicable Maple Syrup Scents to city cops with Absolutely No Scents, New York City has provided a wealth of olfactory fodder for the Whiff-Guys over the years. And, as it turns out, we’re by no means the only entity to stick our noses into the diverse aromas of this diverse city.
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A Debilitating Olfactory Phobia

It may be the most common syndrome you never heard of. Sufferers of a disabling psychiatric condition called Olfactory Reference Syndrome (ORS) are convinced that they emit horrible smells and, as a result, often isolate themselves or even attempt suicide.
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New Baby Smell!

Expectant mothers leaning toward natural childbirth but not toward the pain associated with labor may find the solution right under their noses.

At Southmead Hospital in Bristol, U.K., 24 midwives have been trained to employ aromatherapy as natural pain relief for patients giving birth at the hospital and in their own homes. Bergamot, jasmine, lavender, peppermint, grapefruit, clary sage and frankincense are being mixed and administered by the midwives via massage, bath, or smelling stick.
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NIDCD Investigates the Olfactory Impact of 9/11

Attendees of this year’s NIDCD Annual Meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences Conference (April 21-25 at St. Petersburg’s Tradewinds Grand Isle Resort) are in for some unusually fascinating topics. Among the headliners slated for discussion are a newly discovered area of the brain where smell and sound converge (see the Whiff-Guys’ look into Smound) and a study into the long-term olfactory effects of toxic exposure on responders to the 9/11 terrorist attack.
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Acupuncture and Olfactory Dysfunction

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (TCA), where very thin needles are used to stimulate specific points in the body to elicit beneficial therapeutic responses, may be an effective treatment option for patients who suffer from persistent post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD), according to new research in the April 2010 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
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More on Scent and Emotional Bonding

New research at Edinburgh University may offer valuable clues about the role of scent in the way humans create emotional connections with one another, and also shed light on the causes of autism and anxiety disorders.
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Smell + Sound = SMOUND

Like so many discoveries, the possible link between our senses of smell and sound came to Dr. Daniel Wesson purely by accident.
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If You Wanna Know If He Loves You So…It’s In His Armpit

The smell of a man’s sweat differs according to what mood he is in and women can pick up on changes that indicate attraction, according to the latest “stinky t-shirt” research. Read more

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