smell (Page 2)

If their students are behaving badly, teachers should spray some air freshener into the classroom and that may solve the problem. If you work in an office, maybe you should secretly spray some in the boss’s office while he’s out to lunch. Why? Studies show that People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments. The research found a dramatic improvement in ethical behavior with just a few spritzes of citrus-scented air freshener. It’s funny how the brain works, sometimes: almost anything is worth trying.
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When the space shuttle touched down in California instead of in Florida, due to bad weather, on the anniversary of 911, California residents who heard the sonic boom thought a bomb had gone off. Are we preparing for another potential terrorist attack? Well, researchers have developed a postage stamp-size sensor that can sniff out poisonous gases.

It changes color as a warning and could also be helpful in workplaces where hazardous materials are used. Researcher Linda Birnbaum says, “This paper brings us one step closer to having a small wearable sensor that can detect multiple airborne toxins.”
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Is smell influenced by our culture or are genes? As part of a year-long recreation of Darwin’s epic voyage on the HMS Beagle, olfactory scientist Sanne Boesveldt will explore how people respond to smell at each of the ship’s ports of call.

In each of the approximately 25 worldwide ports where the Beagle ship docks, crew members will ask local participants will complete a “scratch and sniff” smell test to evaluate their response to the same 12 odors. The researchers hope that the findings will provide insight into how our response to odor is influenced by culture and gender.
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Watch out guys: women have more sensitive noses (they can TELL when you wear the same shirt twice!) According to new research, it is more difficult to mask underarm odor when women are doing the smelling.

Researcher Charles J. Wysocki says, “It is quite difficult to block a woman’s awareness of body odor. In contrast, it seems rather easy to do so in men.” He thinks that females may even use the way a man smells as a guide to choosing a mate.

According to Wysocki, “?Our studies indicate that human sweat conveys information that is of particular importance to females. This may explain why it is so difficult to block women?s perception of sweat odors.”
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