Today's Creation Moment:
Sense and Smell
Sense and Smell
Leviticus 3:5
And Aaron's sons shall burn
it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is
on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the
Lord.
What determines the sort of smells that we
like and dislike? Is it nature or nurture? Do we like the smells of the
environment, in which we were brought up, or are our likes and dislikes
inherited from previous generations?
Scientists
at the University of Campinas in Brazil have done some interesting work
on the subject. The olfactory sense is by far the most complex of our
senses. Our eyes basically work with three kinds of sensors, arranged
around the three primary colors. Taste involves 49 different receptors,
but can be approximated by five primary tastes. However, the number of
different olfactory sensors numbers into the thousands, with at least
ten primary scents—though there could be more.
Brazilian scientists showed, as expected, that
the construction of the olfactory sensors in the noses of laboratory
mice was mostly determined by genetics. However, they placed genetically
different mice in similar olfactory environments, and genetically
similar mice in differently smelling environments, to see if
environmental characteristics had any influence on these receptors. They
did. The genetic factor was the most important, but there was a
significant difference between receptors in genetically similar mice
placed in different environments.
It is interesting that, in the Bible prayer is
likened to an aroma ascending to the Lord. This is the reason for much
of the symbolism of aromatic sacrifices, both from the smell of cooking,
and from the scent produced by skilled perfumers. God desires an
environment of sweet-smelling prayer for us, and this is clearly the
best environment for us to be in.
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