Smell •

Comet 67P Stinks -ESA Reported

October 27, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

Do you really wish to know what a comet smell like? In simple words, it smells like a rotten egg.

Recently, researchers of European Space Agency revealed that comet generally contain a horrible smell.

Experts analyzed the Rosetta spacecraft comet 679 Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The study unveils that the comet releases a strong gas vapors with the help of “out gassing”. It usually transforms the comet’s ice into a water vapor through sunlight.

Scientists utilized special instruments on board of the European Spacecraft Rosetta. The spacecraft is all set to fall a Lander on the icy exterior of the comet.

The ESA website reported that the comet smell is so unique that no one wishes to smell it.

Moreover, Kathrin Altwegg who is the project leader notified that this smell would increase when the spacecraft moves closer to the sun. The sun will compel the spacecraft to produce more gas.

Scientists were really eager to find out the configuration of comet as these chemical fumes would probably disclose some significant details related to the origin of the solar system.

The gaseous arrangement of Comet 67P is same as the composition of other comets of Oort cloud.

This smell of toxic gases can only be stopped with a dangerous mixture of gases such as ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide.

Beer Smell: Good to Attract Flies!

October 10, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

The known smell of beer is because of the aroma compounds produced by common brewer’s yeast. Recently, researchers stated in the ‘Cell Reports’ journal that they discovered why yeast (S. Cerevisiae), produce that smell. The scent magnetizes fruit flies, which eventually repay the yeast by diffusing their cells in the environment.

Certainly, yeast lacks a single aroma gene due to which it fails to produce their distinctive odor and that’s why they don’t have the ability to attract fruit flies.

Kevin Verstrepen of KU Leuven and VIB in Belgium stated that, “Yeast and flies, two apparently discrete species have developed an obscure symbiosis based on smell. Flies can feed on the yeast, and ultimately yeast benefits from the movement of flies.”

Verstrepen, a graduate student, who first got an idea that how yeast cells contribute to the flavor of of beer and wine. He found that the yeast cells make numerous pleasing aroma compounds similar to those produced by ripening fruits. Particularly, one gene in yeast known as ATF1 for alcohol acetyl transferase was actually responsible for the sharing of those impulsive compounds.

Verstrepen further stated that, “As I returned to the lab after a weekend, I found the flask containing smelly yeast is infested with fruit flies and on the other hand, another flask which contained a mutant yeast strain in which the aroma gene was deleted did not contain flies.”

But it wasn’t until years later, when I met two of the fruit fly neurobiologists Emre Yaksi and Bassem Hassan and the story begins.

With the combination of molecular biology, neurobiology and the behavioral tests, the researchers found that the loss of ATF1 actually alters the response of the fruit fly brain to a smell of yeast. Consequently, the flies are less attracted to yeast cells, which eventually resulted in the reduced dispersal of yeast mutant by the flies.

Moreover, the researchers stated that, the findings expose a fascinating aroma-based communication and mutualism between microbes and insects. They further infer that the similar mechanism happens in other plant associated microbes, especially pathogens.

Indeed, the team of researchers has secluded diverse yeast species from the flies bodies in nature to discover that the vast majority of yeast produces aroma compounds. They have isolated several strong aroma-producing yeasts from flowers too.

Losing Smell Sense May Lead to Earlier Death

October 2, 2014 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Recently, a report revealed by the U.S. researchers stating that, the losing ability to smell might be associated to the higher risks of death.

Researchers have studied more than 3,000 people aging 57 to 85 discovered that 39% of the patients, who failed in the smell test died within 5 years. Reuters reported, the findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Science’ PLOS ONE on Oct.1.

Dr. Jayant Pinto, the study’s lead author, told Reuters that, “A person with the normal sense of smell as compared to the one with absent sense of smell has 3 times higher chances of dying within the 5 years time span.”

Dr. Jayant Pinto is an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago’s medical department.

He further stated that, “Te sense of smell actually indicates your overall health status.”

39% of the patients, who passed away within the time period of 5 years, scored less in the smell test, creating 4 or 5 errors. This is comparable to the 19% with the moderate sense of smell and just above 10% with good sense of smell, creating 0 to 1 errors.

The odor in the test included rose, leather, peppermint, fish and orange. Those people who have poor sense of smell are at the greatest risk and for this purpose other factors such as age, nutrition; smoking habits and poverty are considered.

The loss of the sense of smell is like the canary in the coal mine. It did not directly cause death, but it’s a portent, and just an early warning that something has gone wrong said by pinto. Scientists are doing more research to study this link and they conclude that losing the ability to smell means less regeneration and cell repair in the body and a poor sense of smell is a reflection of lifetime’s experience to bugs and pollution.

A consultant head and neck surgeon who is the honorary secretary of ENT UK, Nirmal Kumar an organization for ear, nose and throat specialists, says that, people losing their sense of smell should not panic; the study was motivating but questioned the consistency of the smell test used.

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