| 2/5/08 |
Scenting Success
Article in the "Financial Times" reports on research that shows how negative odors can drive away potential buyers or drive down the price of a home, while a pleasant scent can draw them in. |
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| 1/5/08 |
Depression in Females Linked to Sense of Smell
Medical News Today.com reports on scientific study done by Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University that found women who are depressed have a diminished sense of smell and "may overcompensate by using more perfume." |
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| 11/17/07 |
Watch it, Tom! Experts find fearless Jerries
Reuters reports on a recent study by Japanese researchers who found that fear may be linked to the sense of smell and can be switched off by shutting down certain receptors in the brain. In the study, scientists removed certain odor receptions from the olfactory bulbs in the brains of mice resulting in fearless rodents who willingly cuddled up to their cat predators. |
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| 8/14/07 |
Sniff Test May Signal Disorders' Early Stages
The New York Times reports scientists at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new Sniff Magnitude Test that is described as "the only test that measures patients' ability to smell without requiring them to put the sensation into words..." This is a very promising invention since the loss of the ability to detect and identify smells is an early warning symptom of the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. |
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| 4/30/07 |
Brain Processes Sense of Smell Better than Previously Thought
Science Daily.com reports study conducted at University of Chicago by Leslie Kay and Jennifer Beshel demonstrated that brains have the ability to adjust automatically to distinguishing small diffrences in smell. The article notes "The research demonstrates the importance of smell as a means for people to gather information from their environment." |
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| 4/30/07 |
Nasal 'Death' Molecules May Kill Sense of Smell
New Scientist.com news service report on study done by Dr. Robert Henkin at the Washington DC Taste and Smell Clinic found that people who have no sense of smell tend to have an overabundance of cell-killing molecules in their nasal mucous. |
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| 2/9/07 |
Smell May Outlast Other Senses
A report on ScienceDaily.com reveals that new research suggests the sense of smell may deteriorate much slower that the other senses with aging in otherwise healthy individuals, who don't smoke, take medications or hae a history of nasal problems. |
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| 12/18/06 |
Sense of Smell 'Underestimated'
BBC News report of study done by researchers at University of California in Berkeley, CA that found humans have a keener sense of smell than was previously thought. |
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| 1/17/06 |
Dogs Excel on Smell Test to Find Cancer
The New York Times reports that researchers at a little-known research clinic in Northern California have released results from a recent study showing that trained dogs, using their extraordinary canine sense of smell, have an uncanny ability to detect lung cancer in the breath of sufferers with a 99% accuracy, and breast cancer with 88% accuracy. Independent researchers who have reviewed the study have been unable to find any flaws in the methodology. Nevertheless, the results will have to be replicated before any further actions can be taken. |
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| 6/1/05 |
New Study Shows Scent Can Reduce Road Rage
CBS News (June 23, 2005) reports a recent study conducted by Bryan Raudenbush, PhD at Wheeling Jesuit University revealed that drivers demonstrated a reduced level of anger along with improved alertness and overall driving performance when exposed to the scents of pine and strawberry.
The study was conducted using a car simulator, exposing participants to pine and strawberry scents, while monitoring driving tendencies such as speed, lane changes and reaction time. A control group in an unscented environment was also monitored. AroMetrics™, the company that funded the study, also surveyed over 2,000 adults as part of the study. 62% of the respondents indicated they purchased car air fresheners to “create a nice environment” and four of every five respondents agreed with the statement, “When my car smells good I feel better.”
The results of this study are consistent with previous independent research in olfaction and aroma-chology, some which was funded by the Sense of Smell Institute that has consistently demonstrated pleasant scents can elevate mood, enhance quality of life, and improve performance.
So with the rate of accidents caused by road rage and people falling asleep at the wheel on the rise, the solution may be a simple sniff away!
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| 5/10/05 |
For Gay Men, Different Scent of Attraction
An article in The New York Times reports on a study done by a team of Swedish researchers that used a brain imaging technique to explore how homosexual and heterosexual men respond differently to odors (pheromones) that may be involved in sexual arousal. They found that gay men respond in the same way as women to these chemicals, which are produced by individuals. This research may open the way to studying human pheromones, as well as the biological basis of sexual preference. |
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