A Justification of Luca Turin’s Vibrational Theory of Scent

1538 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Perception and five senses

Science is used to explain everything. However, there are some topics which are disputed in the scientific community. One such topic is the proposed question, “How do we, humans, smell?” As for the answer to this question, there are two main theories which should be mentioned. The first is a theory based on the idea that the shape of a molecule determines it’s scent in the human nose (TED). The second such answer is the theory that smell is linked to the vibrational frequency of a molecule (TED). This latter notion is one argued effectively by Luca Turin, a biophysicist who is part of the perfuming business (TED). Turin is the chief modern scientist when it comes to this vibrational theory, though he was not the first to realize the idea’s possibility as an accepted piece of scientific information (TED). Not only is he experienced when it comes to the matter, having written multiple titles, such as The Secret of Scent, but he also discussed by other authors, as seen in The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr (TED). Clearly, he is a man that is has had much influence in discovering information about how the sense of smell works. Moreover, he will continue to expand his discoveries as he has plans to take part in the attempt to create an artificial nose at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (TED). With this in mind, it is without a doubt that Turin’s theory of scent based on the vibrational properties of molecules is true. To understand why this vibrational theory of scent is fact, one must first comprehend both theories mentioned earlier. The first, the molecular shape theory, was first brought up by scientists in the mid-twentieth century, such as Amoore (Chemistry 257), but has continued to be elaborated on by others even r... ... middle of paper ... ...he vibrational theory of scent, as explored by Luca Turin and justified by the reasons above, is unquestionably the true explanation for how the sense of smell works. Works Cited Frey, Regina F., and Maureen J. Donlin. "Chemistry 257." Olfaction Tutorial. Washington University, 1998. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. "Speakers Luca Turin: Nose." Luca Turin. TED Conferences, LLC, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Turin, Luca. "Luca Turin: The Science of Scent." Lecture. Feb. 2005. TED: Ideas worth Spreading. TED Conferences, LLC, Nov. 2008. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Watkins, Thayer. "Luca Turin's Theory of the Nature of the Sense of Smell." Luca Turin's Theory of the Nature of the Sense of Smell. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Yirka, Bob. "New Study Strengthens Olfactory Vibration-sensing Theory." New Study Strengthens Olfactory Vibration-sensing Theory. Phys.org, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Marilyn Miglin Women Pheromone Parfum Analysis

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most pheromone based perfumes marketed on the internet elicit their effect by affecting one or more gland in the body.

    Read More

  • The Correlation of PTC Tasting Threshold to The TAS2R38 Genotype

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    Variation in PTC sensitivity was first discovered in a lab incident in the early 1930s by Arthur L. Fox, an OSHA officer (Fox 1932), when Fox was pouring some PTC powder into a bottle and some “flew around in the air”, a co-worker nearby, C. R. Noller complained that the dust tasted bitter, but Fox insisted he could not taste anything. The two then took turns tasting the PTC powder and found they really differed dramatically in sensitivity. Fox tested “a large number” of people and found a distinct variation was common regardless of age, sex and ethnicity. He classified those people into two categories, those able to taste the PTC at very low concentrations whom he referred to as “tasters” and those unable to taste the PTC except at very high concentrations whom he referred to as “nontasters” or “taste blind”.2 Later several scientists including Fisher, Ford and Huxley (Fisher 1939) and others set out tests for PTC taste sensitivity and the implications of variability of the findings. However, despite almost 70 years of interest, these studies were missing a firm grasp of the molecular genetics of bitter-taste sensitivity.2

    Read More

  • Asparagus Officinalis Case Study

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    2011). This hypothesis was put to the test by Pelchat et al. in 2011, who had volunteers donate both regular urine and asparagus urine, then presented the volunteers with samples of urine from all the volunteers to see whether or not they could detect the scent in the samples, of not just their own urine but in others as well. The results of this experiment revealed that six percent of the volunteers were unable to detect the asparagus odor in the urine samples, which highly suggests that there is an anosmia present for the asparagus odor. However, these results do not prove the anosmia because the urine samples used contained varying amounts of the sulfurous compounds meaning that some of the samples could have had ample amounts of the sulfur molecules while other samples could have had lesser amounts making it either easier or more difficult for the different subject’s to perceive the odor. Much like the experiment conducted by Lison et al. in 1980 this experiment really just proved that at varying concentrations different people can smell the odor. It did not present clear cut data that proved whether there really are “smellers” and “nonsmellers.”

    Read More

  • Assessing Personality Using Body Odor: Differences Between Children and Adults

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Psychophysiological stimulation can affect the apocrine, eccrine, and sebaceous glands altering body odor and the ways others perceive us. The apocrine glands are the source of human pheromones activated by emotions. This explains why there is a higher correlation of correct assessments between adults of the opposite sex due to pheromones not being active before puberty. Association ability originates early in human development and plays a major role in social interactions such as: the i...

    Read More

  • Perfume Novel Grenouille by Patrick Süskind, Questions and Answers

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    I think every odor instantaneously takes over ones emotions and curiosity , but odors cannot shape a persons character or demeanor permanently because odors fade and are truly never forever so I disagree that any odor can have a persuasive power so powerful to change a persons views on life ,Grenouille uses the power of odors twice the first time to smell like a normal person which makes him basically unable to be seen and the second time he creates a scent from all his victims scents he has stolen which makes everybody do what he wants.

    Read More

  • The Sense of Scents, the Sense of Self

    2427 Words  | 5 Pages

    For this paper, I'd like to revisit some of the questions left unanswered in my last paper regarding the sense of smell. In that paper, I outlined some of what is now understood about how smells are identified and the initial levels of how that information is coded in the brain; for this paper I would like to trace that path (as much as possible) through to my experience of smell and then to see if my experience matches the proposed models. From this perspective, I'd like to take a last look at the "brain = behavior" equation and the notion of the "I - function" and see if I can't make some final sense of it all in a way which is not utterly dissonant with my own experiences.

    Read More

  • 1999 Gallup Report

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a 1999 Gallup poll, it was revealed that 20% of Americans think that the sun revolves around the earth (Danello, 2011). It is startling that nearly 5 centuries after Copernicus discoveries a large portion of population still has such a misconception. In fact, there are many misconceptions we encounter on an everyday basis. Examples of these misconceptions include the idea that we only use 10% of our brain and the idea that lightning never strikes twice the same place. Two other common misconceptions come from our sense of taste and they relate to areas of tasting and taste buds.

    Read More

  • The Physicochemical Properties of Miconazole Nitrate

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...c viscosity in particular is an important component of the association between physicochemical properties and feel.

    Read More

  • taste what you smell?

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people might wonder, how do we use our nose to smell? How do we use our mouth to taste? What part of the brain is responsible for detecting and interpreting smell? How important is smell to the ability to taste? Many people have thought about at least one of those questions.

    Read More

  • Case Study: Laila's Brain

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first way Laila’s brain guesses that her fiends have ordered pizza at the dorm is because of her ability to smell the pizza. Her ability to smell is because her first cranial nerve, also known as the olfactory nerve, is functioning well. This nerve is responsible for relaying sensory data to the brain and results in the sense of smell. Olfactory receptors are located in the mucosa in the nasal cavity. When airborne chemicals and particles travel to the nasal cavity, they interact with the receptors. Despite the olfactory nerve being part of the nervous system, it does not join the brainstem and is considered the shortest cranial nerve. When Laila breathes in air, the molecules attach to her olfactory mucosa and her olfactory receptors

    Read More

  • Scent Case Study

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    Scent is part of the five senses that are developed when an infant is still in the mother’s womb. It is processed by a part of the brain that correlates with memory, so at a young age an infant could differentiate who their mother is by scent. Odor is a sign and olfactory condition (Waskul & Vannini, 2008). As someone gets older they begin to develop scents they like and dislike. There are also scents that people find attractive and unattractive. When meeting another individual for the first time a human’s first instinct is to smell them without realizing it. For instance, have you ever sat by someone or hugged someone who smelled good or bad? If so, many people tend to associate the scent with attractiveness or unattractiveness depending on the level of smell. There have been many studies indicating that there is a strong correlation between odor and attractiveness. Although the scent is a universal and an undetectable smell it can influence the level of perceived attractiveness of another person.

    Read More

  • Smell In The South Williams Analysis

    471 Words  | 1 Pages

    The author reminds us of how our nose smell good odor by saying “and now it is the souring flowers of the bedraggled.” (par.5); the odor of flowers are most of the time good odors and make us feel good. When I feel bad sometimes, I find a flower and smell that flower because it does make me feel good and make me forget about my problem for a moment. Although, the author mostly questioned why our nose have to

    Read More

  • Sixth Sense: The Vomeronasal Organ

    2353 Words  | 5 Pages

    Biologists have long realized that the noses of most vertebrates actually contain two sensory channels. The first is the familiar olfactory system, which humans possess. The second channel is the vomeronasal complex, a system that has its own separate organs, nerves, and connecting structures in the brain. The function of the vomeronasal system is the detection of pheromones, chemical messengers that carry information between individuals of the same species. It was widely believed (as I found in some of the older texts I examined) that humans had long ago discarded this sensory system somewhere along evolution's trail. But convincing behavioral and anatomical evidence has since brought the notion of a human vomeronasal organ (VNO) into the realm of scientific fact. Some thirty years ago, when anatomist David Berliner was studying human skin composition using scraped skin cells from the insides of discarded casts, he found that when he left vials containing skin extracts open, his lab assistants would become more friendly and warm than usual (1). When, months later, he decided to cover the vials, the warm and relaxed behavior was noticeably reduced. These findings led him to investigate the possible existence of odorless human pheromones and a "sixth sense" organ to detect their presence, a VNO.

    Read More

  • sensory evaluation

    1286 Words  | 3 Pages

    Next, Duo – Trio test is a test which will determine whether or not a sensory difference exists between two samples. This method is particularly useful to determ...

    Read More

  • The Left Brain Vs. The Right Brain

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brynie, F. (2009). The science of the senses and how we process the world around us. New York: American Management Association.

    Read More

More about A Justification of Luca Turin’s Vibrational Theory of Scent

Open Document