โ Scribed by Herrmann, Andreas
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The Big Picture 'The multifarious nuances of the sense of smell embody the archetypal longing for the lower forms of existence, for direct unification with circumambient nature [. . .].' 1 Volatile molecules are to perfumers what music notes are to music composers and colours to painters. 2 Everyone is quite familiar with how vision works; photons (tiny packs of energy of different wavelengths, meaning in plain language of different colours) travel from a light source, are reflected by objects and enter the eyes where they are transformed into nerve signals transporting the information to the brain. In the case of audition, air vibrations are created by the vocal cords (or by some loudspeakers) and reach the ears where they are transformed into nerve signals also travelling to the brain. And for olfaction, molecules are emitted by a scent source (a flower, the sea, your skin) and reach your nose where they create nerve signals, also relaying the information to the brain (Table .1). The brain is a huge data processor which tries to make sense of all the stimuli coming from the senses and draws conclusions, stores memories and decides on actions or inactions. Just like the eyes are made to receive photons of light, whether from natural or manmade sources, ears are made to hear vibrations, natural or manmade. The nose is made to smell molecules, natural or manmade. One should not be fearful of smelling. Numerous similarities exist with the other senses, such as true figurative perceptions of the world or conceptual interpretations, illusions or 'trompe nez' effects, inspirations, artistic and commercial applications and all other things associated with the senses, their biology, underlying science and outspoken arts.
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