What the Nose Knows - Avery Gilbert [115]
To his way of thinking To get the flavor of Linnaeus’s odd logic, see Aphorhisms 358–362 in his Philosophia Botanica, translated by Stephen Freer (Oxford University Press, 2003).
wild-goose chase Modern researchers continue to mistake Linnaeus for an odor classifier. See, for example, M. Zarzo and D.T. Stanton, “Identification of latent variables in a semantic odor profile database using principal component analysis,” Chemical Senses 31 (2006):713–724.
Zwaardemaker’s classification Hendrik Zwaardemaker, Die Physiologie des Geruchs (Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 1895).
German physiologist Hans Henning Hans Henning, Der Geruch (Leipzig: J. A. Barth, 1916).
dismantling of the odor prism For background on this, see M. W. Levine, Fundamentals of Sensation and Perception, 3rd edition (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001); P. M. Wise, M. J. Olsson, and W. S. Cain, “Quantification of odor quality,” Chemical Senses 25 (2000):429–43; Stanley Finger, Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations into Brain Function (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).
new system of smell classification Crocker and Henderson, “Analysis and classification of odors,” p. 325.
a stunning blow S. Ross and A. E. Harriman, “A preliminary study of the Crocker-Henderson odor-classification system,” American Journal of Psychology 62 (1949):399–404.
burst of innovation John E. Amoore, Molecular Basis of Odor (Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1970).
Australian psychologist David Laing Key findings of Laing’s that I discuss here are referenced in A. Livermore and D. G. Laing, “The influence of chemical complexity on the perception of multicomponent odor mixtures,” Perception & Psychophysics 60 (1998):650–61, and in A. Livermore and D. G. Laing, “The influence of odor type on the discrimination and identification of odorants in multicomponent odor mixtures,” Physiology & Behavior 65 (1998):311–20.
Chapter 2. The Molecules That Matter
The planet Mars Leonard David, “Mars stinks: Sulfur deposits may make Red Planet putrid,” Space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_stinks_040308.htm (March 8, 2004).
researchers in Salt Lake City J. G. Moore, L. D. Jessop, and D. N. Osborne, “Gas-chromatographic and mass-spectrometric analysis of the odor of human feces,” Gastroenterology 93 (1987):1321–29.
olfactory analysis of farts F. L. Suarez, J. Springfield, and M. D. Levitt, “Identification of gases responsible for the odour of human flatus and evaluation of a device purported to reduce this odour,” Gut 43 (1998): 100–104.
chemical composition of baby farts T. Jiang, F. L. Suarez, et al., “Gas production by feces of infants,” Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 32 (2001):534–41.
Another cherished belief T. I. Case, B. M. Repacholi, and R. J. Stevenson, “My baby doesn’t smell as bad as yours: The plasticity of disgust,” Evolution and Human Behavior 27 (2006):357–65.
outsized cultural impact “Blagojevich Enjoys Campaign Trail, While Ryan Endures It: Democrat’s Baggage Hasn’t Slowed His Momentum,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2002; Warhol attribution from www.hempfiles.com.
are therefore odorless The National Toxicology Program (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) lists the odor of THC as “none found,” an impression confirmed by Eran Pichersky (interview September 19, 2006) and by Jim Woodford (interview April 11, 2007). THC, cannabinol, and cannabidiol are “nonvolatile” according to M. Rothschild, G. Bergström, and S. Wängberg, “Cannabis sativa: Volatile compounds from pollen and entire male and female plants of two variants, Northern Lights and Hawaiian Indica,” Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 147 (2005):387–97.
Early in his career Interview with W. James Woodford, April 11, 2007.
found in flower scents J. Horiuchi, D. V. Badri, et al., “The floral volatile, methyl benzoate, from snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) triggers phytotoxic effects in Arabidopsis thaliana,