Do elephants discriminate between (and perhaps against) different human ethnic groups? This study addresses that question: “Elephants Classify Human Ethnic Groups by Odor and Garment Color,” Lucy A. Bates, Katito N. Sayialel, Norah W. Njiraini, Cynthia J. Moss, Joyce H. Poole, Richard W. Byrne, Current Biology, vol. 17, no. 22, November 20, 2007, pp. 1938–1942. […]
Tag: smell
Making cheese from humans’ foot, nose, armpit bacteria
“Make hay while the sun shines, but make cheese from places where it does not” is the unstated them of a project described in Christina Agapakis‘s Harvard PhD Thesis (and described more colorfully on her web site): “Descriptions of human body odors often overlap with those of cheese; Propionibacterium used to make Swiss cheese is a major […]
Study: Why my baby is less disgusting than yours
When a mother compares and contrasts the stench from her baby’s nappies with that from those of someone else’s baby, the question of disgust arises. The question drove a team of psychologists to do an experiment. Richard Stevenson and Trevor Case, of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and Betty Repacholi of the University of Washington in Seattle issued a report […]
Sperm can’t smell, says Timo
A report from Max-Planck-Gesselschaft, highlighting research by Timo Strünker [pictured here, and to whom the report directs inquiries for further info] and friends, says: Sperm cannot smell. [February 28, 2012] According to a 2003 study by German and American scientists, a component of the Lily of the Valley scent known as Bourgeonal alters the calcium balance of human sperm […]
Cheese and dogs and a pill to kill mosquitoes
Bart Knols explains—and also demonstrates—three related things: How to use cheese and dogs and a new kind of pill to kill malaria mosquitoes. Knols and Ruurd de Jong were awarded the 2006 Ig Nobel Prize in biology for showing that the female malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae is attracted equally to the smell of limburger cheese and to […]
Smell-mediated response in flies — The dance video
Just as — and yet completely unlike the way — you’ll not see anything quite like the bee dance created and performed by Michael Smith, you’ll not see anything to match this dance video by Cedric Tan. He made the video, called “Smell mediated response to relatedness of potential mates“, and entered it into the 2011 Dance Your […]
A man who pricked his finger & smelled putrid
Four doctors in Wales [at the hospital pictured below] rose to fame because of a man who pricked his finger and smelled putrid for five years. The doctors were hit nose-on with one of the most baffling medical mysteries on record. It all started with a chicken. The case ended happily – yet mysteriously – […]
Study: Smelly socks for malaria control
Cesar Sanchez of the TwistedBacteria blog alerts us to this new study, which was derived from the Ig Nobel Prize-winning work of Bart Knols and Ruurd de Jong (who showed that many malaria mosquitoes are attracted equally to the smell of human feet and the smell of limburger cheese): “Sugar-fermenting yeast as an organic source […]
Official warning: Icky, smelly may be toxic
The United States Geological Service warns, in a new press release (thanks to investigator Bob Bendesky for bringing it to our attention): If the Water Looks and Smells Bad, It May Be Toxic
Argument for a stinky bicycle helmet
Research News reports on a technical innovation (thanks to investigator Jan Stradowski for bringing this to our attention): Crash helmet with a useful smell The polymer materials or plastics produced by the process start to smell if they develop small cracks. Large cracks really cause a stink. The smell comes from odoriferous oils enclosed in […]