Some time ago I remember reading a short blurb about a new theory concerning how humans smell things, a subject still poorly understood.
Aparently, the theory was that rather then having different shaped receptors for each type of molecule out there, we had one receptor, and something about differences in the bonds in the chemicals resulted in different signals being sent to the brain (vagueness here because it has been years, and in an area I know little to nothing about).
At any rate, I don’t know the researcher’s name, the technical details, or place of employ, or where I read it (I seem to remember commercial interest from the perfume industry though, and it might have been a science popularizer magazine like SciAm or PopSci) - but I wondered if anything had come of it since it sounded like such an elegant theory, finally making it possible to predict the smell of new compounds, as well as simplifying “electronic noses”
Can anyone dig up some more detail?
Is this what you’re referring to?
Any of the theories mentioned in this article sound right?
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/9/0,5716,117499+32,00.html
Thanks smackfu! Theory #5 seems exactly right. Although Britannica notes that there is still no definitive evidence one way or another. At any rate it gives a key word I can search for: “molecular resonance theory”.