The Smell of White

Combine everything and you get a unique sensory outcome we call "white." With light, all colors together create white light. With sound, all different frequencies combine to make white sound. Now, scientists have created olfactory white.

To create this indescribable smell, they chose 86 different odor molecules and diluted them to the same intensity. Then they combined them in different configurations. They found that when the mixtures included 30 or more of the compounds, they began to smell alike, regardless of which odor molecules were in the mixture and even if they shared no odor molecules in common.

The neutralization comes about because no one odor is dominant and the smells range over the range of scents humans can detect, effectively canceling each other out. This even distribution of smells is highly unlikely to occur in nature, but scientists are hoping that like white noise and white light, olfactory white can be used in the study of olfaction.

Scientists Restore Sense of Smell Using Gene Therapy

Can you imagine what it would be like to never have had a sense of smell? Those born with congenital anosmia have never smelled a rose, or freshly popped popcorn, chocolate, or any of the smells that inform and enrich our lives. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered a way to possibly give this missing sense to those without a sense of smell.

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School, working with colleagues at other schools, were able to restore the ability to smell to mice. The mice had a genetic defect which negatively impacted the cilia throughout their bodies. Cilia are instrumental in smelling and also affect other body parts and their functions, like the eyes and kidneys. The researchers used gene therapy to spur the olfactory neurons to regrow the cilia.

The mice were injected with the virus that causes the common cold that had the normal IFT88 genes loaded in it. When the mice got the virus, the gene loaded into their DNA. Within 2 weeks, they had a 60% increase in their body weight, an indication that they were eating more which is linked to a better sense of smell.

The therapy, which will not be available to humans for years, only addresses anosmia caused by cilia dysfunction, not that caused by head trauma, aging or chronic sinus problems. Because cilia dysfunction also causes other, more serious diseases, the therapy could be used to treat a host of other problems. Smells promising!

Nightclub Scenting Replaces Cigarette Smell

Clubs worldwide are faced with a smelly dilemma. In the old days, nightclubs smelled like cigarette smoke, but in many entertainment venues, smoking has been banned. You might think this is a good thing, since most people agree that cigarette smoke smells bad. However, without the strong masking odor of smoke, a lot of other even less pleasant odors are noticeable including body odor, stale beer and vomit.

Researchers in the Netherlands decided to test how people would respond to ambient scenting in nightclubs since club owners are looking for a solution to their smelly situation. They infused three different scents into separate dance clubs: orange, peppermint and seawater, and compared results to the same clubs in an unscented condition. About 850 young club goers were given short questionnaires asking them to rate the quality of the evening, the music, the club and their feelings.

Consistently, those in the scented environment reported that the music was better, the club was more fun, and their mood was more cheerful than in the unscented clubs. Scent also increased the dancing activity in the clubs. The researchers were surprised to see that there was no significant difference between reactions to the different scents; all of the scents had roughly the same effect.

The scientists concluded that ambient scenting is somthing that nightclub owners can use to differentiate themselves from competitors, increase visitor return rate and boost revenue. Scents should correlate with the lights and music, so that high arousal music is paired with stimulating scent. Some innovative clubs are now using "aroma jockeys" who generate and disperse multiple smells throughout the evening that are congruent with the music that is playing.