Weizmann Institute study cracks code on codifying odors
Researchers say that this might eventually lead to the ability to add scents to photographs or give computers the ability to "smell."
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF'Frances with Flower,' taken in 1931-1932 by pacesetting female American photographer Consuelo Kanaga.(photo credit: ESTATE OF CONSUELO KANAGA)Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have discovered how to predict how odorants will smell based on their molecular structure in a new study. Researchers believe that the study's results may in the future enable them to digitize and reproduce smells.The study was completed by neurobiologists, computer scientists and a master-perfumer and was published in Nature. It was funded by a European initiative for Future Emerging Technologies (FET-OPEN). "We have very many different kinds of smells, all the way from the odor of violets and roses up to asafoetida. But until you can measure their likenesses and differences you can have no science of odor,” said Prof. Noam Sobel of the Institute’s Neurobiology Department, adding that there has been no solution to this challenge until now.Mapping odors is a complex, centuries-old challenge due to the human brain's ability to perceive potentially hundreds of smells according to the researchers. They discovered however that they may be able to map odors by mapping the relationships between odors as they are perceived as opposed to attempting to map the odors themselves.The researchers conducted experiments where participants were asked to rate smells in relation to other smells saying how similar or different they found them to be. The relationships between the smells were then analyzed and mapped and researchers tested the model, finding it effective.Researchers found that the model results were nearly as effective as for color perception which has well-defined parameters. Considering that each person has unique smell receptors that can vary by up to 30%, this is a surprising success.The team is now developing a web based tool that would enable them to replicate smells. Researchers say that this might eventually lead to the ability to add scents to photographs or give computers the ability to "smell."
