Questions tagged [smell]
11 questions
24
votes
1 answer
Does water bring out the flavor and aroma in scotch?
I've often heard that adding just a few drops of filtered, room termperature water to scotch helps to "bring out the flavor and the aroma." The scotch guy at my store told me it involves a chemical reaction; that barley is a tightly wound grain, and…
Big McLargeHuge
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22
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1 answer
Does lighting a match eradicate offensive odors in the bathroom or just cover them up?
Perhaps we've all heard this, but if not:
There's a common belief that lighting a match after using the bathroom (in a particularly odoriferous way, mind you) will "burn up" or extinguish the fiendish fragrance.
So the skeptical question is, is it…
JYelton
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18
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1 answer
Is formaldehyde the source of the "new car smell"?
We bought a new car and the smell reminded me of something I was curious about: I remember reading somewhere that the smell of new car is actually the "smell of death" - that is, the smell of formaldehyde.
Here's an example of the claim:
Ahh, the…
chrisjlee
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17
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1 answer
Is 80% of a human's sense of taste in their nose?
According to this article on wine tasting:
Did you know that 80% of our sense of taste is actually in our nose?
It doesn't seem to cite any source, although I've heard similar claims before. I've also experienced first-hand anecdotal evidence…
Flimzy
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12
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1 answer
Can humans smell if a book has been opened?
From a story about Richard Feynman:
Then I looked at the bookshelf and
said, "Those books you haven't looked
at for a while, right? This time, when
I go out, take one book off the shelf,
and just open it--that's all--and
close it again;…
Casebash
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10
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1 answer
Do pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell?
I've heard anecdotes from pregnant women that they have a heightened sense of smell, and How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did cites a NYT article mentioning similar claims about preferring unscented products:
[Pole]…
Andrew Grimm
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10
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1 answer
Why is the smell of flowers sensed in some situations?
Some people report sensing a flowery smell in some places or situations in which there are no flowers present. Those sensations are sometimes related to religious experiences.
There are also claims that the sensation has no scientific…
ipavlic
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9
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1 answer
Remedies against stinky shoes
I have read claims suggesting that the following remedies, among others, are effective against stinky shoes:
Sprinkle bicarbonate soda, baby powder or deodorant on your shoes
Put tea bags in your shoes (some also suggest adding a few drops of…
Amelio Vazquez-Reina
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9
votes
2 answers
Does the nose stop smelling a scent after a few minutes?
A teacher once told me that after detecting a new scent, you will only be able to smell it for a few minutes.
Is this true? If so, why?
What is the precise length of time one can smell, and does it differ by scent? Also, what "resets" the time--for…
jamaicanworm
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7
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Can Joy Milne smell Parkinson's disease?
There are plenty of online articles claiming that a woman called Joy Milne is able to tell whether someone has Parkinson disease by smell:
A British woman who can smell Parkinson’s disease has helped scientists discover 10 molecules linked to the…
Remi.b
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6
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1 answer
Can anxiety increase body odor?
CalmClinic writes in Anxiety and the Connection to Body Odor:
One of the main problems with the physical symptoms of anxiety is that many of them cause further anxiety. That's why so many people with anxiety struggle to cure it on their own -…
Christian
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