Our Sense of Smell Doesn't Actually Stink

Our Sense of Smell Doesn't Actually StinkTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 566, Segment 4

Jun 5, 2017 • 20m

Guest: John McGann, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Rutgers University You know how certain odors can trigger memories—maybe you smell your mother’s perfume in a department store, and it takes you way back? Or maybe a whiff of popcorn reminds you of baseball games when you were a kid? Even so, we’ve long been told that our human sense of smell is nothing compared to other mammals like dogs or rats. Professor McGann debunks that myth.

Other Segments

What Now for Efforts to Conserve Energy in the US?Jun 5, 201716mGuest: Noah Horowitz, Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards, Natural Resources Defense Council When President Donald Trump announced last week the US would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he also said this, “The United States under the Trump administration will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly on earth. We’ll be the cleanest. We’re gonna have the cleanest air, we’re gonna have the cleanest water.” President Trump didn’t say what his plans were along those lines, but we could look to some of the programs that got the US to where it is today – programs that encourage people to pollute less and conserve energy.

Guest: Noah Horowitz, Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards, Natural Resources Defense Council When President Donald Trump announced last week the US would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he also said this, “The United States under the Trump administration will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly on earth. We’ll be the cleanest. We’re gonna have the cleanest air, we’re gonna have the cleanest water.” President Trump didn’t say what his plans were along those lines, but we could look to some of the programs that got the US to where it is today – programs that encourage people to pollute less and conserve energy.

Suing to Diversify City CouncilsJun 5, 201719mGuest: Kevin Shenkman, JD, Attorney in Malibu, CA Do the people on your city council look like you? Are they from your side of town? Your racial group? In a democracy it feels important to know there’s someone in elected office who understands your concerns. But, as America becomes more racially and economically diverse, our local governments are not keeping pace. Why is that? Is there something baked into the way cities and counties elect councilmembers that suppresses racial diversity? Research suggests the answer is yes.

Guest: Kevin Shenkman, JD, Attorney in Malibu, CA Do the people on your city council look like you? Are they from your side of town? Your racial group? In a democracy it feels important to know there’s someone in elected office who understands your concerns. But, as America becomes more racially and economically diverse, our local governments are not keeping pace. Why is that? Is there something baked into the way cities and counties elect councilmembers that suppresses racial diversity? Research suggests the answer is yes.

The Return of the Sea Turtle to Padre IslandJun 5, 201715mGuest: Donna Shaver, PhD, Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore The most endangered sea turtle on earth is called the Kemp’s ridley. Right from birth it leads a precarious life. When it’s time to lay her eggs, a female Kemp’s ridley will travel hundreds of miles to a beach somewhere along the Gulf of Mexico – usually the same beach where she was born. She’ll drag herself through the sand and lay her eggs, hopefully somewhere predators and human beachgoers won’t disturb then. When her hatchlings emerge, they scramble back to the water, always at night, to try and avoid predators. By focusing on this period of the sea turtle life cycle, scientists with the National Parks Service have had tremendous success bringing the Kemp’s ridley species back from the brink of extinction.

Guest: Donna Shaver, PhD, Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore The most endangered sea turtle on earth is called the Kemp’s ridley. Right from birth it leads a precarious life. When it’s time to lay her eggs, a female Kemp’s ridley will travel hundreds of miles to a beach somewhere along the Gulf of Mexico – usually the same beach where she was born. She’ll drag herself through the sand and lay her eggs, hopefully somewhere predators and human beachgoers won’t disturb then. When her hatchlings emerge, they scramble back to the water, always at night, to try and avoid predators. By focusing on this period of the sea turtle life cycle, scientists with the National Parks Service have had tremendous success bringing the Kemp’s ridley species back from the brink of extinction.

Parent Previews—Wonder Woman and Captain UnderpantsJun 5, 201712mGuest: Rod Gustafson, Reviewer at Parent Previews.

Guest: Rod Gustafson, Reviewer at Parent Previews.

Blood Test for Pre-term Birth RiskJun 5, 201720mGuests: Adam Woolley, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, BYU; Mike Alder, Director, BYU Technology Transfer Office The leading cause of death among children under the age of five is the fact that they were born too early. Complications from pre-mature birth kill nearly one-million children a year. Nearly all of them could be saved with the right intervention. Here at BYU, a team is working on a cheap, easy blood test that could – with just the prick of a finger – identify a pregnant mother’s risk of going into pre-term labor. Click here for a video of Prof. Woolley explaining his work. Learn more about technology developed at BYU here.

Guests: Adam Woolley, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, BYU; Mike Alder, Director, BYU Technology Transfer Office The leading cause of death among children under the age of five is the fact that they were born too early. Complications from pre-mature birth kill nearly one-million children a year. Nearly all of them could be saved with the right intervention. Here at BYU, a team is working on a cheap, easy blood test that could – with just the prick of a finger – identify a pregnant mother’s risk of going into pre-term labor. Click here for a video of Prof. Woolley explaining his work. Learn more about technology developed at BYU here.