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Study participants who were shown images of heavy and thin individuals while sniffing odorless substances rated the “scent samples” as smelling worse when they were paired with images of heavy people. [...] And that effect was most pronounced among study participants who were themselves heavy.
— Read more at Study measures the foul smell of fat bias at UK Reuters.
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A new study published in the journal Frontiers Psychology suggests that the calming scent of lavender—as opposed to more stimulating smells like peppermint—is capable of fostering interpersonal trust. Scientists have long known that certain aromatic compounds can have an effect on a person’s cognitive or psychological well-being, but this is the first time they’ve found a direct link between a particular smell and the phenomenon of trust.
— Read more at Want to Gain Others’ Trust? Wear the Scent of Lavender at NOVA.
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The same year, Grace Pavlath, a biologist at Emory University, published a study on olfactory receptors in skeletal muscles. She found that bathing the receptors in Lyral, a synthetic fragrance redolent of lily of the valley, promoted the regeneration of muscle tissue. Blocking these receptors (by neutralizing the genes that code for them), on the other hand, was found to inhibit muscular regeneration, suggesting that odor receptors are a necessary component of the intricate biochemical signaling system that causes stem cells to morph into muscles cells and replace damaged tissue.
— Read more at Smell Turns Up in Unexpected Places at the New York Times. Hat tip to Aparatchik!
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A survey of 3,000 adults found 39% with the poorest sense of smell were dead within five years - compared to just 10% who identified odours correctly.
Scientists say the loss of smell sense does not cause death directly, but may be an early warning sign.
— Read more at Sense of smell 'may predict lifespan' at BBC. Hat tip to Mahgwet!
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Compared with 13 other mammal species studied, African elephants have the most genes related to smell: 2,000. That’s the most ever discovered in an animal—more than twice the number of olfactory genes in domestic dogs and five times more than in humans, who have about 400, according to research published July 22 in the journal Genome Research. The previous record-holder was rats, which have about 1,200 genes dedicated to smell.
— Read more at Elephants Have 2,000 Genes for Smell—Most Ever Found at National Geographic.