On the scent : a journey through the science of smell / / Paolo Pelosi

• Autore: Pelosi Paolo
• Pubblicazione: Oxford, England : , : Oxford University Press, , 2016; ©2016
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (288 p.)
• Disciplina: 612.86
• Soggetto topico: Smell
• Soggetto genere / forma: Electronic books.
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Cover; On the Scent: A Journey Through the Science of Smell; Copyright; Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Figures; Part 1: Smells and Molecules; 1: Molecules in the Air: Smells in Our Everyday Life; SURVIVAL AND PLEASURE; Using our nose to explore the environment; Signals of sex, food, danger; PERFUMES, FOOD, ENVIRONMENT; Creative perfumery; Chemistry and gastronomy; SMELL AND TASTE; ANOSMIA: BLINDNESS TO ODOURS; 2: Smells and Molecules: Chemical Analysis in the Nose; ODOURS ARE CARRIED BY MOLECULES; Good smells and bad odours; Smells are chemical messages ; SMELL AND MOLECULAR STRUCTUREThe architecture of molecules; SIMPLE ODORANTS; Offensive odours; The effect of concentration; Pleasant odours; 3: Sniffing Our Way Around: A Walk Among Smells; AN OLFACTORY MAP OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURES; 4: The Olfactory Code: A Chemical Language; THE LANGUAGE OF SMELL; DECIPHERING THE CHEMICAL LANGUAGE OF OLFACTION; Complexity of olfactory messages; Breaking the olfactory code; Sharing olfactory experiences; How many basic odours?; THE PSYCHOPHYSICAL METHOD; DECODING OLFACTORY MESSAGES; The pharmacological approach; Structure-odour relationships ; Part 2: Messengers of Sex and Danger5: Insect Pheromones: Fatal Attraction; LOVE, WARNING, DECEPTION; The magic of chemical attraction; Pheromones and odours; A BIT OF CHEMISTRY; The varied structures of insect pheromones; Pheromones can be complex blends; Amazing similarity and subtle differences; CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT PHEROMONES ACROSS SPECIES; Puzzling coincidences; Deceptive messages from plants; Mating and death; PHEROMONES AS A CHEMICAL LANGUAGE; The complex communication in insect colonies; The ant colony as a superorganism; Chemical communication in social insects ; A chemical citizenshipNot solitary, yet not quite social; LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES; Smelling the prey; OF MEN AND MOSQUITOES; Mosquitoes need blood; Repellents to replace insecticides; Messages of danger or confusion?; The search for longer lasting repellents; CONCLUSION; 6: Mammalian Pheromones: Smelling Ranks and Kinship; SEX PHEROMONES; Mice and rats smell nutty; Repulsive to humans, but an aphrodisiac for pigs; The captivating scent of musk; Elephants . . . and insects; NOT SEX ALONE; Scent wars among mice; Smell and relax; An addictive drive to milk; PHEROMONES IN PRIMATES ; Part 3: Proteins and Smells7: The Biochemistry of Olfaction: Odorants Meet the Proteins; STEPS IN ODOUR PERCEPTION; THE FIRST ATTEMPTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY; A QUEST FOR OLFACTORY RECEPTORS; AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY; 8: Odorant-Binding Proteins: A Family of Versatile Molecules; THE BOVINE ODORANT-BINDING PROTEIN; First step: purification; Competition stimulates research; Second step: amino acid sequence; Third step: three-dimensional structure; The shapes of proteins; Solving the structure of a protein; The structure of the first OBP; Competition again; ODORANT-BINDING PROTEINS OF INSECTS ; CHEMOSENSORY PROTEINS
• Sommario/riassunto: Smell is arguably the most evocative of senses, linked to memories and associations. For most animals it is vital for survival. For us, it enriches our experience of the world, our pleasure in food and drink, and affects all human interaction. Paolo Pelosi describes how scientists are finally unravelling the science of smell.
• Titolo autorizzato: On the scent
• ISBN: 0-19-102913-0
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910464963203321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II