phersurf
03-03-2006, 01:50 PM
1)
Females, regardless of age, have a better sense of smell then males T or F?
2) There is tremendous
variation in scent perception. In other words, a rose is not a rose is not a rose; no two people smell the same odor
the same way and even in one individual, no odor smells the same from one day to the next. T or F?
3) Men
who have engaged in sex more frequently in the past month find the smell of strawberries particualry arousing. T or
F?
4) The average human being is able to recognize approximately 20,000 different odors. T or F?
5) In humans, the sense of smell plateaus at the age of eight and may begin to decline in sensitivity by as
early as age 15 and most likely by age 20. Just forget about it if you old enough to drink or smoke legally or are,
God Forbid, even older. T or F?
6) The blind have been shown to have a keener sense of smell than their
sighted counterparts, perhaps in compensation. T or F?
7) Dogs and Pigs have the world's most sensitive
noses. Pigs can locate truffles underground and bloodhounds are able to track a human after smelling only five
steps. T or F?
8) Your sense of smell is better in the morning. T or F?
9) People do not smell as
well lying down. T or F?
10) The US Department of Defense has funded research to develop a powerful weapon
based on scent. Its inventor and the DOD refer to it as "Stench Soup." T or F?
************************************************** ******************************
Correct
Answers
Females, regardless of age, have a better sense of smell then males.
1)
False. In studies of prepubescent boys and girls and in men and women over the age of 45, olfactory acuity was
found to be the same for both males and females. However, women of child bearing age have been demonstrated to have
a far keener sense of smell than males, detecting concentrations of odors at levels as much as 1000 times lower (in
the case of musks) than what males are able to detect. There is no set number of times greater, such as fertile
women have a sense of smell 10, 40 or whatever times greater than males; sensitivity varies according to the
indivdual odor. Women's keener sense of smell peaks each month when estrogen levels are at their highest (during
ovulation.) It is thought that estrogen levels play a decisvie role in the olfactory superiority of young women as
the nose structures, number of olfactory receptors and other physical characteristics associated with the ability to
smell are the same for both men and women. It has also been demonstrated that women (both childbearing and older)
engage larger active areas of their brain when smelling than men.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1796447.stm
There is tremendous variation in scent
perception.
2) True. Says Robert Bonkowski, neuropathogist and consultant to the Fragrance Foundation's
Sense of Smell Insitute. A person never experiences one scent the same way twice. A person's sensitivity to an odor
and ability to detect it strongly, weakly or not at all changes from day to day, according to his or her
physiological condition at that moment.
http://www.senseofsmell.org/ (click on Fun facts at
bottom of home page)
Men who have engaged in sex more frequently in the past month find the smell
of strawberries particualry arousing.
3) True. Dr. Alan Hirsch, Director of the Chicago-based Smell and
Taste Treatment Center and Institute's 2005 study showed that while generally speaking certain scent combinations
elicited arousal across the board, there were variations according to age and sexual frequency in particular. Men
who had been very sexually active in the month prior to testing were significantly more aroused by the scent of
strawberries. Older men were more sensitive and responsive to vanilla than younger men.
http://www.sexualhealth.com/article.php?Action=read&article_id=13
The average human
being is able to recognize approximately 20,000
different odors.
4) False. Humans can detect
approximately 4,000 - 10,000 different odors.
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html
In humans, the sense
of smell plateaus at the age of eight.
5) True. Infants and the very young are understandably most acute in
their sense of smell as a survival skill. However, training seems to influence scent sensitivity enormously and some
80-year olds have the same scent sensitivity as young adults. All basenotes members, being highly trained, maintain
the noses of 8 year olds!
http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html
The blind
have been shown to have a keener sense of smell.
6) False. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania
debunked this commonly held belief. In their tests, the group of individuals with the most acute olfactory sense
were employees of the Philadelphia Water Department who evaluate water quality as their job. The Penn researchers
determined that it is training which most influences performance on smell tests.
http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html
Dogs and Pigs have the world's most
sensitive noses.
7) False again. (I am too mean) But the part about pigs smelling truffles and dogs being
able to form a scent memory after only five steps is true. Although dogs have 200,000,000 (Two hundred million)
olfactory receptors to our 5-6 million*, Moths are the true aristocrats of the scent kingdom. A male moth can detect
and hone in on a scent originating from up to 2.5 miles away or a concentration of one molecule per
100,000,000,000,000,000 (a zillion, literally) -- contrast to us scent-feeble humans requiring an average of 71
molecules per trillion --100,000,000,000,000, or three additional decimal points and 70 additional molecules) If
Moths are so clever scent-wise, you may ask, why are they always fluttering around a stinking candle flame until
their wings singe?** Odors are vibrating molecules with Infrared frequencies; part of why we (and moths) smell them
is sensitivity to their vibrations. Seems flickering candlelight has the same IR frequency as a lady moth's sex
pheremones.
http://www.txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/LoveChemistry.html
*
http://www.senseofsmell.org/
**http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html
Your sense of
smell is better in the morning.
8) False again. Sense of smell is least acute in the morning and increases
through the day.
http://www.senseofsmell.org/ (Fun facts page)
People do not smell
as well lying down.
9) True. The phrase should really be, "Sit up and smell the coffee."[Lundstrom et
al., (2006) "Sit up and smell the roses better: olfactory sensitivity to phenyl ethyl alcohol is dependent on body
position". Chemical Senses, e-print ahead of publication, doi:10.1093/chemse/bjj025]
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html#Lie%20down%2 0and%20smell%20less
The DOD has funded research to develop "Stench Soup."
10) True. Pam Dalton of the Monell
Institute, Philadelphia has invented a mixture of noxious odors which she dubbed "Stench Soup" that can incapacitate
targets with overwhelming nausea. The US DOD is interested in it as a non-lethal weapon for use in circumstancess
where a high concentration of civilian non-combatants precludes more deadly force.
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html#Lie%20down%2
0and%20smell%20less>
Females, regardless of age, have a better sense of smell then males T or F?
2) There is tremendous
variation in scent perception. In other words, a rose is not a rose is not a rose; no two people smell the same odor
the same way and even in one individual, no odor smells the same from one day to the next. T or F?
3) Men
who have engaged in sex more frequently in the past month find the smell of strawberries particualry arousing. T or
F?
4) The average human being is able to recognize approximately 20,000 different odors. T or F?
5) In humans, the sense of smell plateaus at the age of eight and may begin to decline in sensitivity by as
early as age 15 and most likely by age 20. Just forget about it if you old enough to drink or smoke legally or are,
God Forbid, even older. T or F?
6) The blind have been shown to have a keener sense of smell than their
sighted counterparts, perhaps in compensation. T or F?
7) Dogs and Pigs have the world's most sensitive
noses. Pigs can locate truffles underground and bloodhounds are able to track a human after smelling only five
steps. T or F?
8) Your sense of smell is better in the morning. T or F?
9) People do not smell as
well lying down. T or F?
10) The US Department of Defense has funded research to develop a powerful weapon
based on scent. Its inventor and the DOD refer to it as "Stench Soup." T or F?
************************************************** ******************************
Correct
Answers
Females, regardless of age, have a better sense of smell then males.
1)
False. In studies of prepubescent boys and girls and in men and women over the age of 45, olfactory acuity was
found to be the same for both males and females. However, women of child bearing age have been demonstrated to have
a far keener sense of smell than males, detecting concentrations of odors at levels as much as 1000 times lower (in
the case of musks) than what males are able to detect. There is no set number of times greater, such as fertile
women have a sense of smell 10, 40 or whatever times greater than males; sensitivity varies according to the
indivdual odor. Women's keener sense of smell peaks each month when estrogen levels are at their highest (during
ovulation.) It is thought that estrogen levels play a decisvie role in the olfactory superiority of young women as
the nose structures, number of olfactory receptors and other physical characteristics associated with the ability to
smell are the same for both men and women. It has also been demonstrated that women (both childbearing and older)
engage larger active areas of their brain when smelling than men.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1796447.stm
There is tremendous variation in scent
perception.
2) True. Says Robert Bonkowski, neuropathogist and consultant to the Fragrance Foundation's
Sense of Smell Insitute. A person never experiences one scent the same way twice. A person's sensitivity to an odor
and ability to detect it strongly, weakly or not at all changes from day to day, according to his or her
physiological condition at that moment.
http://www.senseofsmell.org/ (click on Fun facts at
bottom of home page)
Men who have engaged in sex more frequently in the past month find the smell
of strawberries particualry arousing.
3) True. Dr. Alan Hirsch, Director of the Chicago-based Smell and
Taste Treatment Center and Institute's 2005 study showed that while generally speaking certain scent combinations
elicited arousal across the board, there were variations according to age and sexual frequency in particular. Men
who had been very sexually active in the month prior to testing were significantly more aroused by the scent of
strawberries. Older men were more sensitive and responsive to vanilla than younger men.
http://www.sexualhealth.com/article.php?Action=read&article_id=13
The average human
being is able to recognize approximately 20,000
different odors.
4) False. Humans can detect
approximately 4,000 - 10,000 different odors.
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html
In humans, the sense
of smell plateaus at the age of eight.
5) True. Infants and the very young are understandably most acute in
their sense of smell as a survival skill. However, training seems to influence scent sensitivity enormously and some
80-year olds have the same scent sensitivity as young adults. All basenotes members, being highly trained, maintain
the noses of 8 year olds!
http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html
The blind
have been shown to have a keener sense of smell.
6) False. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania
debunked this commonly held belief. In their tests, the group of individuals with the most acute olfactory sense
were employees of the Philadelphia Water Department who evaluate water quality as their job. The Penn researchers
determined that it is training which most influences performance on smell tests.
http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html
Dogs and Pigs have the world's most
sensitive noses.
7) False again. (I am too mean) But the part about pigs smelling truffles and dogs being
able to form a scent memory after only five steps is true. Although dogs have 200,000,000 (Two hundred million)
olfactory receptors to our 5-6 million*, Moths are the true aristocrats of the scent kingdom. A male moth can detect
and hone in on a scent originating from up to 2.5 miles away or a concentration of one molecule per
100,000,000,000,000,000 (a zillion, literally) -- contrast to us scent-feeble humans requiring an average of 71
molecules per trillion --100,000,000,000,000, or three additional decimal points and 70 additional molecules) If
Moths are so clever scent-wise, you may ask, why are they always fluttering around a stinking candle flame until
their wings singe?** Odors are vibrating molecules with Infrared frequencies; part of why we (and moths) smell them
is sensitivity to their vibrations. Seems flickering candlelight has the same IR frequency as a lady moth's sex
pheremones.
http://www.txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/LoveChemistry.html
*
http://www.senseofsmell.org/
**http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html
Your sense of
smell is better in the morning.
8) False again. Sense of smell is least acute in the morning and increases
through the day.
http://www.senseofsmell.org/ (Fun facts page)
People do not smell
as well lying down.
9) True. The phrase should really be, "Sit up and smell the coffee."[Lundstrom et
al., (2006) "Sit up and smell the roses better: olfactory sensitivity to phenyl ethyl alcohol is dependent on body
position". Chemical Senses, e-print ahead of publication, doi:10.1093/chemse/bjj025]
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html#Lie%20down%2 0and%20smell%20less
The DOD has funded research to develop "Stench Soup."
10) True. Pam Dalton of the Monell
Institute, Philadelphia has invented a mixture of noxious odors which she dubbed "Stench Soup" that can incapacitate
targets with overwhelming nausea. The US DOD is interested in it as a non-lethal weapon for use in circumstancess
where a high concentration of civilian non-combatants precludes more deadly force.
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html#Lie%20down%2
0and%20smell%20less>