[Dr. Kymberly] Young presented study participants with a series of opaque glass vials containing potent familiar scents like oranges, ground coffee, shoe polish and even Vicks VapoRub. [...] Young was surprised to discover that memory recall was stronger in depressed individuals who received odor cues as opposed to word cues. Those who received odor cues were more likely to recall a memory of a specific event (for example, that they went to a coffee shop last Friday) than general memories (that they have been to coffee shops before). Memories spurred by odors were also a lot more vivid and felt more immersive and real.

— Read more in Can Scents Help with Depression? at Happi.

Now, a new study suggests that air pollution might also make flowers less attractive to pollinating insects. Compounds called nitrate radicals, which can be abundant in nighttime urban air, severely degrade the scent emitted by the pale evening primrose, reducing visits from pollinating hawk moths, researchers reported in Science on Thursday.

— Read more in Polluted Flowers Smell Less Sweet to Pollinators, Study Finds at The New York Times.