Using a device called an eNose, a group of Israeli neurobiologists were able to rank smells by pleasantness. They tested dozens of smells on people in Israel and Ethiopia (two very different cultural groups) in order to determine whether these good smells were universal or culturally specific. What they found was that many smells are universally rated as good or bad.

— Top ranked scents include lime and grapefruit. Read more at Scientists Discover Five Things That Smell Good To Nearly Everyone. Thanks to Jane for the link!

In the not too distant future the majority of readers might read their books electronically, on Kindles, iPads, and the like. In the meantime, though, the paper kind populates bookstores and libraries. And the older a book is, the smellier it is. The World’s Alex Gallafent explores those odors for us.

— A quick radio piece at PRI about Matija Strlic, who as you might remember is developing a way to measure the decomposition of books via their smell. Listen (or read the transcript) at The sweet smell of literature. Many thanks to Andrea for the link!

Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects.

— From The Curious Cook: Cilantro Haters, It’s Not Your Fault at the New York Times. Many thanks to Fleur for the link!

In a five-year study aimed at creating a "smell demography" of New York City, [Leslie Vosshall] said they subjected hundreds of volunteers found through Craigslist to intensive smell testing and found that the most pleasant scent, across groups, is vanilla.

The worst: Isovaleric acid, most commonly associated with eau de sweaty sock.

— From Volunteers Amble Through Olfactory Jungle Of NYC at CBS News.

Smell and taste are known to converge to produce the best and worst of culinary experiences, but new research suggests that information received through the nose can also be altered by noise. If confirmed, this newfound union could have potent olfactory and gustatory implications.

— From Making Scents of Sounds: Noises May Alter How We Perceive Odors at Scientific American. (found via Ben Young at Twitter)