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Attitude to smells

07.04.2022

As it turned out, the perception of smells is universal for representatives of different countries, regions and cultures.

While everyone has their favorite and least favorite scents, experts say it really comes down to simple chemistry. The structure of a single odor molecule dictates how people perceive and transmit it.

In their new study, the scientists tried to determine which smell is the most pleasant for most people. The people who experienced smells during the experiment came from a wide variety of backgrounds, including indigenous groups who had little or no exposure to smells and food outside of their own culture. A total of 235 people were involved in the study.

"Cultures around the world value different smells the same no matter where they come from, but scent preferences are personal. We were trying to understand if people around the world have the same perception of smells and like the same types of smells." , or is it something that is established in a culture," explained Artin Arshamian of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

So, during the experiment, the experts found that the most pleasant smell for many was the smell of vanilla. But the smell of isovaleric acid, which is found in soy milk, cheese and sweaty feet, the participants liked the least.

Arshamian says a possible reason why people find some smells more pleasant than others, regardless of culture, is that such smells have increased the chances of survival during human evolution.

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edible batteries 16.05.2023

Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) have created edible rechargeable batteries that could make medical devices or toys safer for children.

The battery prototype uses riboflavin (vitamin B2) as the anode and quercetin as the cathode. Nori seaweed serves as a separator to help avoid short circuits, food-grade gold contacts are connected to electrodes with beeswax, and activated charcoal is used to increase electrical conductivity.

The battery operates at 0,65V and can deliver up to 48µA for 12 minutes or a few microamps for an hour.

The battery's edible composition makes it safer to ingest, so it can be used to power small electronic devices for short-term medical procedures. Future versions with higher power and/or longer life cycles could replace toxic batteries in implanted medical devices.

They can also be used in children's toys or pet toys. According to otolaryngologist Christopher Grindle, about 2500 children in the US swallow miniature batteries each year. Within 15 minutes of ingestion, a chemical reaction may begin, resulting in tissue damage, and after 2 hours, life-threatening injuries may develop.

One of the authors of the study, in a comment to Ars Technica, said that batteries can damage tissues in two ways: either due to the electrolysis of water, or directly due to the toxicity of the materials that make up their composition:

"Water electrolysis is a phenomenon where electricity above 1,2 volts (virtually all commercial batteries) splits water into oxygen and hydrogen (explosive gas), and this is very dangerous."

An edible battery operates at voltages below this 1,2 V threshold, so it does not run the risk of causing water electrolysis.

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