Unraveling the mystery of smell merits Nobel Prize

Smell is a powerful sense that reaches deep into the primitive, feeling area of the brain. This prize-winning work is truly groundbreaking neurology with revolutionary implications for many areas of human life–not least of which are the perfume, the erotica, and the advertising industries.

The two molecular biologists (a man and a woman are sharing the Nobel Prize) discovered that “as much as 5 percent of the genes in mammals were devoted to the sense of smell–an astonishingly high percentage that reflects their importance.” Can you imagine that every mammal has 1500 different smell processors in its nose–only one in each cell of the nasal lining? Incredible. And 900 of the genes associated with smell in humans have simply gone dormant as we’ve come to rely more on sight and hearing.

Just think: Advertisers will begin to create “aroma” campaigns. Just as now you can open a flap in a magazine and sample a new fragrance, soon the sexy smell of leather in a new car will hit you when you pick up a Cadillac ad. Restaurants will create ads that feature the mouthwatering smell of pot-roast-like-your-mom-used-to-make. Gyms will attract new members with the smell of “clean.” This is going to create a whole new category of jobs. We already have IT experts; now we’ll have ST (smell technology) experts who will be in great demand. They’ll be asked not just to formulate smells and aromas that work through different media, but also to analyze what makes a smell attractive.

Beware. Soon you’ll be placed in an SS (smell sense) category and then everyone will know what “turns you on” in the smell department. In any case, this stuff looks like it might present some exciting investment possibilities.