Whether you’re a cork sniffer, panty sniffer, or consider yourself a connoisseur of any other type of odor, sniffing your way to a better America ain’t all that easy. In spite of the fact that our founding fathers declared that all men are created equal and have the right to the pursuit of happiness, we seem reluctant to describe our true feelings after sniffing at our pleasure, at our wont, at our leisure and at our discretion. Not to worry.

Every time a certain guy walks into a room, everyone knows he’s there. Wherever he goes, he attracts people. They  like him and always have, ever since he was a kid. She was always “Miss Popularity.” She always got what she wanted, because she had a magic way of making  people want to be near her. Charisma? Universal charm?. Is it looks? Is it a certain inbred self confidence?  You’re attracted to a certain stranger. Someone keeps following you and won’t let you alone. Two strangers meet and are instantly attracted. Many scientists believe that pheromones can be responsible. Only your nose knows.

Smells come to us in all waves, forms, sizes and intensities. We experience “people” smells all day without actively seeking them. Certain scents present themselves as reminders of the past. Certain odors help us fanaticize about the future and some are so overpowering that they virtually tumble into our lives and linger forever. There is the scent of new-mown grass, the after-odor of gunpowder and the ever familiar reminder - summer has passed and autumn is on the way – the odor of burnt leaves.

And then there is the smell of love and lovemaking. It brings you into a world of fantasy and pleasure – unforgettable – even after the affair is finished. Remember your first love? There was a smell there, a first time for you, one you’re always trying to reproduce while traveling your love-journey through life. The intimate smell of lipstick, makeup, sweat and sex. Then it was the best smell. You’ll never forget it. Snippets of it appear from time to time, and until you die, you will try relive that first time. You loved it then and you love it now.

Then there are everyday smells: Fish smells, paint smells, fuel smells, the smell of decay, hydrogen sulfide – rotten egg smells, the smell of cooked bacon, human flatulence, dog flatulence, flatulence in general and flatulence in specific. Think about how mom’s apple pie used to surround you with pleasure, and the thrill of  a “new-car” smell. Think about the smell of clean sheets and the smell of school when you were a kid. Think about how the odor of cigarette smoke as well as how the aroma of the “best grass east of the Mississippi” used to turn you on. You can smell a Mexican neighborhood, Russian apartment house and a Polish kitchen. You know it’s Italian when  you smell it, and you can find your way to a Chinese restaurant in any city in the country. What’s that smell in the air after a thunderstorm?

There are street smells – carbon monoxide, factory smoke, burnt fat from the grill of a restaurant or bar, and the raunchy smell of garbage as it swelters in a pile on a hot summer day. There are office smells and orifice smells - the smell of floor wax and furniture polish and the smell of a window after it’s been washed. Don’t forget the scent of people in a crowded elevator, a mixture of perfume, aftershave, sweat,  and breath. Musks – some biological – some man or woman made, and others of undetermined origin are churned into this mixture, making you want to get to your office floor and finally breathe some “fresh” air. Some are attractive, and it scares you that you don’t know why.

Smell is an irrepressible sense. You can’t contain an odor. It can escape and travel wherever it wants to go. Close your eyes, stop-up your ears, numb your skin, cover a bad taste with a good taste or spit disgusting things out; but you MUST breath to stay alive. Some say smells “intrude” upon our bodies and against our will, and for this reason are extremely difficult to forget.. You may forget a bland movie, but remember the odour of the person in the seat next to you, for some years to come.

Feminine intuition isn’t just a myth. Some experts maintain that women have a better developed sense of smell then men.  This could be due to, what many believe, is a “genetic predisposition” to react  to the nurturing instinct – the smell of a baby, the smell of impending harm to an offspring, and the smell of unrequited fear when about to be attacked. This could account for a heightened sense of detecting nuances and undertones during very intimate situations, when whiffs and odours of various intensities fill the air.

Let’s face it, out of  all the kinds of smells on earth, there are really only two kinds: smells you like, and smells you don’t like. Even more interesting, is that each person has her or his  own personal idea of likeable or distasteful smells.  There have been arguments about smell, scientific studies about smell, treatises about smell and even speeches about smell. There have been books about smell and stories about smell. The discussions, definitions and characterizations about cranial nerve I are incalculable.

Smelling is something more than just sniffing. It mirrors emotions and creates them at the same time. It brings back memories. It can warn of an impending disaster, and can be a major ingredient in the cocktail of emotions leading to sexual arousal. You can almost sniff the sometime odor of hostility.. There is the terrifying smell of fear.  Some say that they can detect an odor of falseness or  unbelievability. A baby has a certain smell and the elderly seem to have a halo of almonds surrounding them.

Anatomy of a smell

What makes a smell, a smell?  Obviously, it takes at least two things:  The aroma, which is actually a mixture of chemicals wafting through the air; and the nose: the schnozzla, the sniffer, the nasal protuberance, the honker. Anatomically speaking, the nose houses the nostrils or nares that admit and expel air for respiration. It sticks out from the face for a reason – so that it can be the first to tell the brain about outside threats, dangers, the whereabouts of food, and of course, where the boys and girls are, as well as who is a boy and who is a girl.  The act of reproduction begins here.

Whether you like a smell or despise it, all a smell or odor is, is an intermingling of chemical molecules that form a cocktail of sorts. This arises or wafts into space,  is carried by air currents and received – in humans – by the nose. Since the body depends on the nose for breathing (along with the mouth), its nostrils are always open. The lungs rely on these nostrils to enable breathing and bring in oxygen so that they can supply it to the body along with carbon dioxide and a host of other gaseous components. We call these  varyingr mixtures of chemical molecules, smells. Molecular mixtures are sensed by nerve endings  in the nose and sent to the brain for interpretation.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, in an attempt to compete with newfangled television that was stealing movie audiences, producer Mike Todd developed Smell-O-Vision. However, only one such show ever made it to a movie theater. It utilized an idea developed by a German movie technician, Hans Laube. The idea involved rigging each theater seat with hollow tubes that upon an electronic signal, could transmit various scents during crucial movie scenes. This could involve the scent of flowers during a romantic scene or the smell of gun smoke during a battle scene. It never caught on, due to the fact that removal of one scent before another could be released, was next to impossible.

No discussion about smells would be complete without taking about Sissel Tolaas, a lady who says that she can “smell” her daughter when she’s happy. She describes herself as  neither an artist nor a chemist. She defines herself as a “smell educator.” She says that there are no such things as “good smells” or “bad smells.” She maintains that the “smell of fear” is separate and apart from the ordinary “sporting sweat smell.” She maintains that she can “smell” people who have fear, and has – in fact – bottled that odor. For example: She collected armpit samples of sweat from men who had extreme phobias and fears of other human beings. These smells were incorporated into a “touch and sniff” product, and painted on the wall in an exhibition, entitled “FEAR,” shown at MIT and other institutions around the world.

Can you smell fear, aggression or hate? Forget touching a wall. Can you really smell when you’re in danger?  Some, like Sissel Tolaas, say that you can, and this may be an important factor in saving your life some day. According to an elephant research project in Kenya, we know that by smell alone an elephant can distinguish a threatening human from one who means no harm.

Due to lack of the ability to speak, animals evolved certain sensitivities that enabled them to “talk” to each other in other ways.  One of the primary reasons is and was to promote reproduction. By exuding certain chemicals, the female can signal to a male that she is available to reproduce the species. Smell also helps an animal to survive. An animal can sense the presence of another for protection purposes or as a defense. Most of the scientific world today agrees that these mechanisms exist in human beings, today.

There are strange, biological chemicals that, when emitted, relate directly to sex. Called

“pheromones,” they seem to act by binding to protein receptors in the nose. Once the

brain recognizes them, they elicit a sexual response. It seems that the same pheromones

that provide a perfect attraction  between one set of  individuals, can repulse  and even

suggest fear. These pheromones are complex compounds, and in humans appear in body

fluids such as sweat, nasal, mouth and vaginal secretions, and even urine.

In addition, smell is taste. The 1st cranial nerve, or the olfactory nerve (projections of the olfactory bulb), goes through  the ethmoid bone of the skull, and serves as the sensor or receiver of smell. It is a sensory nerve, only, as opposed to several of the other cranial nerves that also serve other functions. When you pinch your nose and disarm cranial nerve I, there is no taste. Kids know that “holding” their noses allows them to take all sorts of evil smelling and tasting concoctions foisted upon them by the adult world. Not being able to smell is called anosmia..  If you experience anosmia, you will also experience ageusia. the inability to taste. Many things can cause this – from pinching the nose to temporary blockage by a sinus infection, or a head injury. While it’s only a trivial problem for some, for others, it can have a serious effect on life and survival.

The nose knows

Who can forget what is possibly the world’s most famous defense of the nose?

Valvert: Your nose is . . . very big.
Cyrano: Yes, very.
Valvert: Ha!
Cyrano: Is that all?

 

Cyrano de Bergerac  Edmond Rostand 1897

We all know Valvert’s ultimate fate!

The visible part of the human nose protrudes from the face.  It goes from the forehead to above the upper lip, and includes nostrils. A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, a divider that consists of  mostly of cartilage, and separates the nostrils. In the nostrils are turbinates, receptor cells that can transmit an inhaled chemical to the brain, the controller of the central nervous system. Get it? There are axon cells in the brain that are neurotransmitters, and can to transmit impulses to the body that result in engorgement and hormonal release –orgasm. Your nose is probably  the most important sexual organ you have.

Nose shape is part of your genetic being. Witness the “Roman nose,” the upturned “Irish nose, ” the strong broad nose of African genetics and the fabled Semitic protuberance. We are at once proud of our heritage and look to our ancestors with reverence and respect, while seeking to disassociate ourselves from the past, to become an individual.

These are conflicting and troubling factors that have bothered humanity for centuries. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a “nose job” can cause unexpected reactions from a patient’s friends or relatives, who relate nose shape to long- loved and revered familial facial traits. In spite of this, rhinoplasty ( a nose job) is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in the world. Why? According to New Image.com, any person who needs a “nose job” these days can afford it, due to “guaranteed financing” and only $99.00 down.

Then there is the Barbara Streisand Profile Nose,  possibly more famous than  Cyrano. In a 1977 Playboy interview, she admitted that her “deviated septum” is responsible for a “special quality” in her voice. She said that, “If I ever had my nose fixed, it would ruin my career.”

The nose is a valuable commodity in today’s retail market. For example, Target offers 529 different products on line, associated with noses. In addition to “Sparkle Chain Nose Pliers”, there are Venetian noses, blunt noses and assorted animal noses. There are nose pliers, nose tweezers, a men’s deluxe nose-hair trimmer and “pick your nose paper cups.” This is only the beginning. Noses are popular and can be trimmed and adorned with nose clips, nose pins, nose jewelry, nose tattoos, nose makeup and nose wipers. Handkerchiefs, of course, never go out of style.

 Famous smells we all know, love and despise

 

Ammonia

This is a chemical compound, NH3. It is normally a gas and is an important component to the nutritional needs of organisms, worldwide. It is a necessary ingredient in all foodstuffs and fertilizers. Chemically, it is a nitrogen atom, bound to three hydrogen atoms. The strong, pungent odor is easily recognizable in cleaning products, cat urine, fertilizer, and in some people – sweat.

 

Skunk Odor

Skunk musk is a mixture of seven ingredients. Six contain sulfur thiols (sulfer, oxyten and hydrogen)  that give skunk musk its awful smell. A person is able to smell skunk musk in concentrations as low as one part per billion. The skunk blows this out of two ducts. The spray can be adjusted, either to a mist or stream, just like your garden hose. It can be directed towards a specific target and can be shot up to 20 feet “with both barrels.” Make no mistake about it, this is not just a bad smelling chemical mixture, but when sprayed in the face of an animal, can temporarily blind and stun. Victims experience watering eyes, nasal irritation and nausea. Asthmatics can experience breathing problems. Rabies is NOT transmitted through skunk musk.

Smell of decay

Hydrogen sulfide, H2S, is the culprit here. Whether it’s the smell of rotten eggs, rotten flesh or degrading sewage, these molecules can damage concrete, metal sewer pipes and other mechanical equipment. No need to go into detail here about smelling rot. . When a turbinate in your nose encounters an H2S molecule, it wastes no time in sending the signal to your brain about death, decay or dying close by.

 The smell of flowers – roses, violets, etc.

First, flowers did not evolve their beautiful scents to attract YOU, although the sweet odor is amazingly calming . It takes ethylene, an almost hypnotic chemical, to help you enjoy that beautiful smell of a rose or the lingering scent of violets.   A flower needs to reproduce, just as any living thing. The chemical attraction is for bees and a multitude of   other animals that flit from bud to bud, picking up pollen and nectar from one and transferring it to the other. A flower scent can travel as much as 1800 miles, but due to manmade pollutants in today’s world, the more probable distance is less than 600 feet. A plant produces ethylene that enhances its lifespan as well as its scent.

 Vaginal odor

Books and scientific studies abound about this one. We know that short-chained fatty acids like acetic acid, propanoic acid and butonoic acid occur in vaginal secretions, in different quantities, and vary with the age and time of the menstrual cycle. These copulins probably account for normal vaginal odor. Aided by this, the female of every mammalian species has evolved a transmission method to attract the male, thus enabling continuation of the species throughout the ages. Does this work in humans? You bet it does. Al Pacino aside, the scent of a woman is attractive to sexual partners. Its pungency varies from woman to woman and changes with age. However, beware. If the odor is strong or unusual in any way, consider a medical workup to determine the cause.

 

Hospital smell

Here is a variety of smells, whiffs and odors, depending on where in the hospital you may be. Mainly, you can sniff mixtures of cleaning agents such as ammonia compounds and alcohol. Mix in a little dried blood and mucus, various exudates that waft through the air ducts, as well as  and the breath of your doctor, nurse or caregiver. It’s curious to note that this is the first smell and breath that a newborn encounters.

 

The smell of the battlefield

Only a select few of us live to relay this to others. It is indelible and unforgettable, consisting of gunpowder, blood, machine oil and decay. This is “The smell of Death.” When encountered after a battle, it remains forever in the minds of survivors. There are amazingly poignant narrations from  9/11 survivors that  are saturated with descriptions of smells, odors, whiffs and stinks. Count your blessings and thank your lucky stars that you have never experienced this type of “smell” first hand. If you have, be glad that you can describe it to others, and perhaps eliminate this smell forever. In doing so, you may be able to limit these descriptions to only second-hand accounts.

Google Jimmy Durante, you’ll go back to the days of vaudeville and live entertainment. A piano-playing waiter with, possibly, the largest “schnozzola” in the Western hemisphere, he was famous for laughing at his own deformity. Given a byline in a guest editorial, Durante, wrote,

“All of us have schnozzolas, if not on our faces, in our characters, minds or habits. We are, in short, ridiculous in one way or another. When we admire our schnozzolas, instead of defending them, we begin to laugh and the world laughs with us. What a great world it would be if we all learned to laugh at our schnozzolas. We wouldn’t have wars, suicides, race hatreds, or economic distress, and sickness of soul and body would be rare indeed.” Jimmy Durante, His Show Business Career, David Bakish, McFarland 1995.

The sense of smell is considered by many to be a divine gift. Many believe that your nose makes your personality, and that without it, “you wouldn’t be you.” There is some truth to all of this. Just think about it, and smell your way to a better world.

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world, reaching lengths of 10 feet. They were discovered in 1910 and inhabit the island they are named after, as well as few other islands located in Central Indonesia.

Komodo dragons have only recently been found to be venomous. The venom causes rapid swelling, pain and disruption of blood clotting. The effects may last up to several hours and can contribute to the death of their victim. However, the main way in which Komodo dragons can kill a human being is by bacterial infection.

Komodo dragon's mouth is a ideal place for bacteria to grow. Pieces of meat become stuck in their teeth and are left to rot and decompose. The dragon also bites through its own gums while chewing making them bleed into its mouth. All these factors combined make Komodo dragon's mouth a dangerous place.

Komodo dragon's saliva contains 4 types of toxic bacteria. The most dangerous strain is that of Pasteurella multocida.

The bite can cause gangrene and require amputation of the affected area, but the real problem is septicemia or blood poisoning. Septicemia causes a whole body inflammatory state which can cause multiple organ dysfunction and lead to death.

Box Jellyfish

Box jellyfish, or sea wasps as they're sometimes called, live in the coastal waters of northern Australia. They are not true jellyfish, but rather a more advanced group of invertebrates called Cuboza. Their name comes from the shape of the bell which has four distinctive sides. They are transparent or pale blue in color, making the invisible in water. Up to 15 tentacles can grow out of each corner of the bell. Each tentacle contains about 5,000 stinging cells. The cells are activated not by touch, but by the presence of chemicals on the skin of their prey.

The venom of box jellyfish is among the deadliest in the world. The sting instantly affects the heart, nervous system and skin. Numerous times people who are stung go into shock from the excruciating pain and drown. If the victims do make it to shore, they can experience cardiac arrest within minutes. If a person does survive all of that, they experience significant pain for weeks and necrosis of the affected skin.

Poison Dart Frog

Poison dart frogs are little frogs measuring between half an inch up to 2 and a half inches in length. They inhabit the forests of central and south America. They display intricate patterns and bright colors on their skin to ward off predators. The name dart frog comes from the fact that the native people use the frogs to make poison arrows.

Poison dart frogs are said to be among the world's most venomous creatures. A two inch frog possesses enough venom to kill 10 grown men. The skin of those frogs secretes batrachotoxin. Upon entering the bloodstream the venom causes the muscles to remain contracted which ultimately causes cardiac failure.

Lonomia

Lonomia are silk moths living in South America. These animals are cryptic. The moths camouflage themselves as leaves, while the caterpillars blend against tree bark.

The caterpillars posses a very powerful anticoagulant venom which they can inject through bristles growing all over their body. These bristles are really venom glands called urticating hair. The results of caterpillar injecting the venom lead to prevention of blood clotting, massive internal bleeding, kidney failure and destruction of blood cells.

Pufferfish

Pufferfish are found all over the world, in the shallow and warm seas of Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These fish are very iconic for their ability to inflate their stomachs with water or air until they are spherical. This serves as a defense against predators, fooling them into thinking they are facing a much bigger animal.

Pufferfish are a famous delicacy in Japan, where they are made into a soup or eaten raw. If the meat has been prepared incorrectly, meaning the cook has failed to completely cut out the parts containing the greatest amount of tetrodotoxin(usually the ovaries and liver), the meal can prove fatal.

Tetrodotoxin is a powerful neurotoxin. The ingestion of it causes numbness, dizziness, vomiting, rapid heart rate and muscle paralysis. A person usually dies from suffocation as the diaphragm muscles become paralyzed.

Thorny Devil

Say hello to the Moloch, or mountain devil. Dr. John Grey, who discovered the lizard, named it after the Canaanite god (Moloch), who used to sacrifice children. This small lizard may look fierce, but that's just the impression it wants to give. The horns are a defense to ward off potential predators. In fact, the animal is rather non-aggressive. It may grow up to 8 inches. It readily eats ants, sometimes thousands in one day. It is also able to absorb water through its skin by way of channels that lead to their mouths. Their skin contains tiny grooves that run throughout their scales. When they come into contact with water, the water channels its way to the corners of the lizard's mouth where it becomes absorbed.

Narwhal

This animal is elusive and rarely seen. The name Narwhal means corpse whale, most notably due to its bluish, blotchy skin tone. It is much like the mythical unicorn, with the males growing a tooth larger than the rest. Narwhals have 2 upper teeth. The male's left tooth will end up growing and spiraling outward of its mouth. The tooth will then grow to be nearly 7-10 feet long. The use of the tooth is unknown; perhaps to be used during mating season to fend of rivaling males. More recently however, it has been suggested that the tooth is a sensory organ, used in channeling sonar pulses.

Proboscis Monkey

The male monkeys grow noses up to 3 inches long in this species. And the longer the nose, the better the odds with the ladies. The nose also amplifies sound when danger is near, or when the male becomes aggressive. They are mostly arboreal animals (tree-dwelling), living in troops of 11- 24. They are endemic to Borneo, and sadly, there are only 3,000-4,000 of these creatures left. They are unable to survive in captivity due to their complicated digestive systems. They cannot eat fruit like humans, and most of their diet consists of leaves, starchy dried fruits, and leaves, hence why their stomachs are larger than most simians.

Cassowary

This bird is the Jet Li of birds, capable of delivering a bone-smashing kick to anything it perceives as a threat. It is the third largest bird in the world (the ostrich being the largest, and emus in second). Each foot of the bird has 3 toes; while the inner toe has a long 5 inch spike used for defense. It is the most dangerous bird in the world, and capable of killing a person if cornered

Long-eared Jerboa

This little fellow is a nocturnal animal, marked with Mickey Mouse-like ears. It has the biggest ear-to-body ration of any animal. It is primarily found in Mongolia and China, and the animal is very elusive. Sadly, little is known about the rodent, and it is already an endangered species. They hop on their hind legs, much like a kangaroo would. They have hairs on their feet that protect their paws as they jump along the hot sand.

Oreo Dory

It's found in the waters around New Zealand and Australia and can live to a depth of nearly 4,200 feet. They've been documented to having lived up to 100 years. That's amazing for a fish! They feed mainly on planktonic animals and crustaceans.

Pangolin

Although they appear to look like reptiles, they are actually mammals. There are 3 types of pangolins; the tree pangolin, the ground pangolin, and the giant pangolin. They exist in Africa. If frightened, they will roll themselves into a ball in order to defend themselves. Even when a mother senses danger, the baby will slip under her as she rolls up her entire body. Once rolled up, predators are unable to reach to their underside. They also produce foul smelling secretions from their anal glands when frightened.

Carrier Shell

They are mollusks who decorate their shells by selecting bits of other shells, rocks, or fragmented pieces, and cementing them onto their own. There are only 22 species, and each species likes to design their shell with their own preferred objects. They add fragments of objects by secreting a calcium carbonate while holding the object in place. Scientists are uncertain as to the purpose of the shell attachments. Some theories include camouflage, shell support, and adding strength in areas of weakness.

Whorl-Tooth Shark

While this shark no longer exists, it is certainly bizarre and unusual. The animal lived more than 250 million years ago, having grown to maybe 13 feet in length. The bottom row of teeth resemble that of a buzz saw, whilst the upper jaw only contained a few teeth. Scientists are unsure about the exact operation of the teeth, but perhaps they acted as a whip, slicing or disabling prey that came near; which then allowed the shark to eat when ready.

Bongo Antelope

They are a species of antelope, where both sexes are characterized by their striking horns. In other species, only the males have horns. They are the largest forest antelope. In their native Africa, native people will not hunt them because it is believed that the meat of the antelope will give them seizures. Unfortunately, they are hunted for sport, and the Lowland Bongo is almost an endangered species, whilst the Mountain Bongo has now been classified as an endangered species.

Philippine Tarsier

It is one of the smallest animals in the world. So small is this creature, that a human is capable of cradling it in their hand. The abnormally large eyes allow for incredible night vision while hunting for prey. Their numbers are drastically falling in the wild, making them an endangered species. Hunting and deforestation have added to the decimation of this unusual creature.

Yeti Crab

This blind, furry crustacean has only been discovered in the last few years. It was found more than a mile and half down near hydrothermal vents. No one is sure as to the use of the fine hair that covers the crabs' claws. It is theorized that perhaps they trap bacteria which then filters out toxic minerals spewed forth from the vents.

Robert E. Cornish

He had conducted multiple experiments on dogs (all named Lazarus), whereby he asphyxiated them with ether and nitrogen. He then attempted to revive the dogs by using a seesaw-like contraption he called the teeterboard. He would then open a vein on the dog's thigh to administer a saline solution saturated with oxygen and adrenalin. He would then administer CPR as the dog would rock on the teeterboard. A few of the dogs died. Those that survived were feeble and parts of their brain were dead. They were vacant and didn't respond as most dogs would. What was his purpose with such experiments? To hopefully one day revive the dead (humans). He had petitioned a few state governors to supply him with the corpses of condemned criminals. He found one, Thomas McMonigle. The state of California eventually refused, for fear that if the experiment worked, they would have to release him. Eventually he managed to gain access to some corpses, but none of the experiments were successful.

Japanese Whale Experiments

What do you get when you cross-breed a whale with a cow? I haven't the faintest clue, and I'm not sure the Japanese scientists do either. For reasons unknown, the scientists were injecting minke whale sperm into cow eggs. They also tried to create test tube whale babies. For 18 years the experiments were conducted, all with no useful outcomes. Why they chose to cross-breed a cow and a whale is beyond comprehension. What purpose could an animal like that even serve?

Spiders on Drugs

When my husband used to work at the University of Arizona, he and his colleagues used to have a poster on their door of spiders. Upon further inspection, one would notice the haphazardly shaped webs, and a caption underneath that would say, spider on cannabis, spider on alcohol, and so forth. Apparently in the 1960's, a young Swiss pharmacologist named Dr. Witt laced spiders with various forms of drugs. While the spider was doped up, it would spin cockeyed cobwebs. Depending on the drug the spider had ingested, then the shape of the web would vary. Dr. Witt had drugged the spiders as a method for identifying drugs. Supposedly it's easier identify what the drug is when dosing a spider, rather than chemically analyzing a drug to differentiate the closeness between common drugs.

Fluorescent Cats

Last year in Korea, 4 cats were cloned with modified genes with a fluorescent protein. Cloning of cats had been done for the past 5 years, but these cats were different. The Korean scientists used skin cells of a Turkish Angora cat. The genes were modified with a virus making them fluorescent. The genes were then transplanted into the ova; which were then placed into the womb of a donor cat. The purpose you ask? Supposedly the cat research was designed to detect genetic diseases in humans and animals. And theoretically, you could add in a coding for endangered species, producing cloned hybrids, boosting the gene pool for tigers or Iberian lynxes. While the idea of a glow-in-the dark cat seems kind of nifty, there's no telling where this kind of experimentation might lead (i.e. genetic modifications of animals, possibly human cells).

Cat in Zero Gravity

What happens when you take a cat and toss it into zero gravity? It spins out of control while trying uncontrollably to right itself. For whatever reasons, and one can only postulate as to why, some astronauts took a cat into a vomit comet to see what the end results would be. The video circulating on the Internet shows a man tossing a cat to female scientists. The cat spins out of control while trying to claw at the side of the plane, before falling uncontrollably to the ground. It is then picked up, only to be tossed like a rag doll again. I can only assume that the logic behind this experiment would be to test the cat's ability to right itself in free-fall. Maybe it has something to do with the cat's balance mechanism in its inner ear. Whatever the reason, although the outcome was harmless overall to the cat, I can't imagine how many years this cat will end up spending in therapy. “The Horrors…meow!”

The Study of Kangaroo (Farts)

Apparently kangaroos have gone green. Australia scientists have done a study on the marsupial's ability to produce “eco-friendly”, ahem… farts. The kangaroo has a bacteria in the lining of its stomach, which means that its gas contains no methane. Methane creates a greenhouse gas more damaging than carbon dioxide. The study of kangaroo farts is trying to lead to a more climate-friendly cattle. Cows account for 14% of greenhouse emissions in Australia alone. So, by lacing cattle feed with the kangaroo bacteria, scientists want to determine if this could help reduce the greenhouse emission of cow farts. Someone light a match.

Most individuals who handle these snakes are likely to get bitten. They're highly aggressive and wiry. Their fangs come out of the side rather than the front, which makes them more difficult to handle than other snakes. They get their names from the stiletto heels, because when their fangs swing out, they look like the heel of the shoe. They're nest raiders whereby they will enter the nest of rodents, striking the young and ingesting them once they're dead. They are predominant throughout Africa. This snake has no antivenin. It causes a lot of problems in the rural areas of Africa. Many who get bitten by these snakes lose limbs, fingers, or their lives.

The bite sends pain receptors throughout the nervous system, as well as swelling of the blood vessels. The surrounding tissue near the bite slowly begins to digest. The wound will swell up into a huge blister, and then it will eventually decompress, releasing the blood from the wound. The flesh will begin to rot at the site. Liquefaction necrosis of the flesh is not uncommon (where the bone, tissue, and underlying muscle turns into liquid). The bite causes a rapid increase in heart rate/blood pressure, which can cause heart attack. Since there is no antivenin, survival is rare, and if one does survive the bite, they're liable to experience excruciating, disabling pain months after the bite has occurred.

Killer Bees

If one bee stings a victim, it stirs up a reaction in the hive. The worker bee that has stung the victim secretes a pheromone in response to a perceived threat. Thousands of bees will swarm and attack the victim. Killer bees primarily attack the head and upper body. It's also not uncommon for the bees to find their way into a victim's mouth and throat area if a victim's mouth is open. Killer bees are so aggressive, that they will continue to attack. Thousands of them will deposit small amounts of venom. While killer bees have a smaller amount of venom than honeybees, there are more of them while in the midst of a swarm. The thousands of bees that can attack a person will cause a massive amount of envenomation.

When a bee pulls away from its stinger, the stinger remains in the victim. The stinger is still attached to its venom gland; which continually pulses venom into the victim until all the venom is released into the body. The body can become numb from the massive amounts of stings because the body has over stimulated its pain fibers in response to the stings. While there have not been many deaths occurring from killer bee stings, all people react differently. Some people can have a delayed reaction to the venom. The venom can attack the muscles causing rhabdomyolysis. The muscle cells can break down and rupture, releasing proteins into the bloodstream. The protein is transported from the blood into the kidneys. The kidneys can be damaged, but since the heart is a muscle, damage to the heart is also concern.

Brown Recluse

The bite of a brown recluse is sometimes subtle. But it will lead to a mild stinging, followed by redness and severe pain. Their bites are more noticeable because they will turn into a target like shape. At first the bite may be bluish or purple in color. But as the venom starts to spread throughout the wound, the flesh will start to form a blister. When the blister begins to peel, the underlying tissue will reveal a deep ulcer that begins to turn black. Necrosis of the tissue isn't uncommon, and sometimes, severe wounds can develop that will last for months. Victims of brown recluse bites have experienced flu-like symptoms, headaches, muscle cramping, rashes, and joint stiffness. More serious bites have resulted in convulsions, the prevention of blood clotting, renal failure, or even death. While deaths have occurred, they are more common in children since they are smaller and usually unable to fight the envenomation.

Saw-Scaled or Carpet Viper

This snake attacks and kills more humans than any other species of snake. They are small, never growing more than 2 feet. They are usually difficult to spot because they blend into the surrounding area. They are one of the most dangerous snakes. They are very bad tempered and easily provoked. Sometimes they are known to travel in groups. No other species of snake does this. In northwest India, more than a quarter of a million of them were exterminated in one region. Gram for gram, their venom is more deadly than any other viper. Most patients will have swelling at the bite. Necrosis of the flesh is common. Renal failure, shock, cardio toxicity (muscle damage of the heart) and the inability for the blood to clot are common. Some victims will die slow, excruciatingly painful deaths.

Time Travel

As seen in: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. You know. When Keanu Reeves was still earning a paycheck proportional to his skills?

Time travel is probably one of the most enduring ideas in science fiction. From HG Well's the time machine, through to the Doctor and his TARDIS, time travel has been a real concept that many people have tried to get behind and make a reality. And the best part of this? It may soon be a reality, thanks to the work of Einstein and Professor Ronald Mallett.

Rail Guns

As seen in: The eraser, Halo (Under the name MAC cannon), EVE online, metal gear solid, and many, many others.

Everyone's head of rail guns, weapons that use magnetic force to propel rounds to massive speeds. Well, they are no longer the realm of science fiction. The US navy has a number of working prototypes of various powers, and believes in the idea so much, they are pouring massive amounts of funding into the project, and are already drawing up battle plans on his these new, devastating weapons could be used. The days of the tomahawk cruise missile are numbered.

Orbital Weapons

As seen in: Many videogames and anime series.

The idea of weapons in space blasting targets down on the planet has been with us since the cold war. In modern science fiction, we have all sorts of orbital weapons from the ion cannon used by GDI in the command and Conquer video games, to massive orbital bombardments by ships in the anime “Macross SDF”. But in your lifetime, these weapons could soon be a reality. The US government is looking at dropping the bomb on you from orbit even now, and even going so far as to draw up designs for solar weapons that can fry tank divisions to a crisp in moments.

Nano Technology

As seen in: Star trek, Dr Who, Stargate: Atlantis, Metal Gear Solid.

Soon you may well have tiny machines crawling through your body repairing your wounds and keeping you in tip top condition. These same machines could also revolutionize mining and ore purification, as well as water filtering and countless other industrial processes. The age of the nano machine is upon us, and the technology is advancing in leaps and bounds.

Don't want to get left behind? Click here.

Artificial Intelligence And Quantum Computing

As seen in: Virus, Mass Effect, Halo, a million and one others…

We've all heard of artificial intelligence, computers that think and learn like people, that behave with sentience. Well, thanks to the quantum computer, these new life forms may be closer than ever to being born. Computers than work using individual atoms, and robots that learn and grow without human interference.

Vladimir Demikhov (1916-1998)

Demikhov was a pioneer in organ transplantation. Although he was unable to be the first to do heart transplants in humans, he did do many organ transplants in animals. He was most notoriously known for creating a cruel monstrosity in 1954. He surgically attached the head, shoulders, and front legs of a puppy onto a mature dog. People were astonished, if not repulsed, to see the animals lap up milk from bowls.

Giovanni Aldini (1762-1834)

Aldini was the nephew of Luigi Galvani. His uncle essentially discovered the concept of galvanism, when experimenting with electrical currents on frog legs. Aldini took those experiments further. Aldini conducted his experiments on corpses.

In front of an audience, he conducted an experiment on a hung murderer, George Forster. He applied conducting rods to the man's rectum, whereby the dean man began to punch the air, and his legs began to kick and flinch. Rods applied to the face made it clench and quiver. The left eye popped open. Several people present feared the man had come back to life, and had he actually sprung forth, he would have to be re-executed. One individual was so horrified, that shortly upon leaving the spectacle, he reportedly died.

Andrew Ure (1778-1857)

Andrew Ure, despite his many accomplishments as a Scottish doctor, was more famously known for four experiments conducted on Matthew Clydesdale on November 4, 1818. The first experiment involved an incision in the nape of the neck. Part of the vertebra was removed. An incision was then made in the left hip. Then a cut was made in the heel. Two rods connected to a battery were placed in the neck and hip, which caused great, uncontrollable convulsions. The 2nd rod was then placed into the heel, whereby the left leg kicked with such force, that it nearly knocked over an assistant. The 2nd experiment made the diaphragm of Forster's chest rise and lower, as if he were breathing again.

Ure had reported that had Forster's blood not been drained, or his neck broken from the hanging, he was sure he could bring him back to life. The 3rd experiment showed the extraordinary facial expressions exhibited when Ure made an incision in Forster's forehead. The rod was inserted, and Forster's face began to show emotions of anger, horror, despair, anguish, and hideous, contorted smiles. The expressions scared viewers so badly, that one doctor who was known to have a strong stomach, passed out on the spot. The final experiment had people believing that Forster was indeed alive. A cut was made into the forefinger. Once the rod was inserted, Forster began to raise his hand and point to people in the audience. Needless to say, many were horrified.

Sergei Bruyukhonenko

His research led to the development of open-heart procedures. He developed a crude machine called the autojektor (a heart and lung machine). By using this primitive machine, Bryukhonenko kept the heads of severed dogs alive. In 1928, he displayed one of the heads in front of an audience. To prove it was real, he banged a hammer on the table. The head flinched. When a light was shone in its eyes, the eyes blinked. And when it was fed a piece of cheese, the remnants promptly popped out of the esophageal tube, much to the displeasure of disgusted viewers.

Johann Konrad Dippel (1673-1734)

Dippel was a bit of a weirdo. He was an alchemist who was trying to find ways to extend life. He lived in the castle of Frankenstein (yup, this place actually existed) in Darmstadt, Germany. When corpses from the Frankenstein cemetery began to disappear, he was chased out of the village. He was also known to have boiled the flesh of corpses and animals to make elixirs. He was an ardent vivisectionist (operation on live specimens), and although he was constantly searching for the elixir for long life, it would elude him.

Not the Normal House Pet

They changed from orange to brown and brown to orange, hiding under the recently fallen leaves from early autumn. Unfortunately we did not know how to care for them, so I have no idea what became of these fascinating little guys. For all I know they may have become a snack for Tiger, our cat.

Long tailed salamander by Michael Cravens

So just in case one of your little ones decide to sneak one of these into your home I have found a wonderful site that offers tips on keeping yours healthy. 

Donald and Louise Peattie tell a beautiful little story about our friends the salamanders in Marvels and Mysteries of Our Animal World (1964). Donald and Louise bundle up and wander out to the woods during the first rain which signals the spring thaw. The amphibians are awakened from their long sleep by the “lengthening day and the patter of rain”. They quietly watch and wait as the female salamanders perform their nuptial dance and the males “lay little white spermatophores - like collar buttons - on the leaves.” It is in this action among many others performed by God's creatures, that we witness the beginning of a new season.

If you were turned off by the salamander's appearance, here is a fact to endear them to you:

They Eat Flies

If animals had a “Most Dangerous” label, it would belong to the common housefly. Because of his detestable habit of visiting human and animal waste the fly transmits more disease than any other animal. That being said, we should pay homage to creatures that eat flies. They also eat earthworms, pill bugs, beetles, small millipedes, aphids, small moths and other night-flying insects.

Tiger Salamander by Michael Cravens

According to Michael salamanders, newts and caecilians all belong to the category amphibians belonging to the aquatic vertebrates which first inhabited the earth. Although there are approximately 4,000 known species of amphibians, this particular group (salamanders and newts) are found only in the Americas and temperate zones of Africa, Asia and Europe.

They have no scales, claws or ear openings. There is one breed which also is lungless, called the American lungless species.

The rare grotto salamander, although it is born with eyes, undergoes a strange phenomenon during metamorphosis. It enters a cave, which will become its life long home and there the salamander's eyelids grow together causing it to become blind. The Georgia blind salamander is one of the rarest of all salamanders and is actually born without eyes.

They fall into three categories: the fully aquatic, fully terrestrial (which are aboreal) and semi-aquatic. The semi-aquatic will live primarily on land but enter the water to breed. The fire salamander of Europe has been known to drown when it returns to water to mater.

The terms eft and newt are Anglo-Saxon words meaning “lizard-like” used to describe salamanders. The eft is the animal in its land cycle and the newt is the animal in its watery phase. Some have been known to become a bright red color while on land, and then become spotted when returning to water. Gils are also an addition to some of those who remain in water, and are lost once they return to land.

While lizards have five toes, salamanders never have any more than four on their front toes.

Although their young may be confused with tadpoles, note that the head is not as large as that of the (frog) tadpole.

Just behind the head, you will note the feather gill structure. The gills are retained for aquatic life or lost when the salamanders stays on land, as the tiger salamander does.

Picture of a Mexican axolotl found in Wild, Wild World of Animals Reptiles & Amphibians.

They are voiceless.

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They Begin Eating Immediately after Hatching

It's hard to believe that something this small could start eating, but they begin eating small aquatic animals immediately.

They May be Cute but NOT Cuddly

They should not be handled. The oils and salt in our skin is toxic to them, and they secrete fluids from their skin which can irritate our mucous membranes. It is best to scoop them up with a net gently. If they must be handled hands should be washed and rinsed thoroughly before and after handling.

A healthy salamander will not want to be handled, but will appear skittish from handling. They should appear plump, but not bloated. Ribs should not appear bony. Skin and eyes should appear clear without scratches or discoloration. New ones should be quarantined for several weeks or months before adding to the group.

.Fire salamanders are amphibians which can be found throughout most of Europe and in parts of Asia and Africa.

The male grows to about 17 cm (including the tail) and the females to approximately twice that.

They have a clever way to protect themselves, emitting salamandrin from
special pores on their back, a poison strong enough to kill small animals.

The Fire Salamander is not Fireproof

The fire salamander is believed to have gotten its name from hibernating in logs, and when the piled logs had been placed in a fire they would come crawling out. Some actually believed they were fireproof.

Salamander means "Fire Lover"

The scientific name is Ambystoma maculatum and means Ambystoma or "Blunt mouth” and Maculatum means “Spotted”

The Southeastern US has more salamanders than any other region in the world.

A spotted salamander can live to between 20 to 30 years old.

They have very sensitive skin, so if populations of salamanders are healthy it would be an indication that the air is cleaner there.

Salamanders have 10 times more DNA in each cell than humans do.

Some spotted salamanders deposit eggs with clear jelly and others deposit eggs with a cloudy jelly.

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The largest amphibian is the giant salamander, which can grow to reach 5 ft. in length according to High Tech Science. So if you bring one home, I would recommend you select a smaller breed, or get ready to give up your bath tub.

1. Copernicus

   
   
   Who will ever forget Copernicus? The guy enraged the wise men, clergy, and scholars of his day. He challenged Ptolemy's belief that the earth was at the center of the universe (by the way, I can imagine Ptolemy as a bald headed philosopher who writes books everyday, but don't take my word for it). Instead, Copernicus boldly stated that the sun is at the center of the solar system, and moving around it are the planets. This concept might seem dumb and obvious to us today (just ask your nine year old daughter and she will even enumerate the names of the planets for you), but during the time of Copernicus, challenging the accepted beliefs of the Church is equivalent to heresy. Too bad, those old timers from the 1400's never had the Discovery Channel, or National Geographic magazines, so they never figured out that the sun (not the earth) was at the center of this neat little system known as the Solar System. They were lucky to have Copernicus, but he was too much of a smart alec for them, so they made him look like a loser. Know what I mean?

2. Galileo Galilei

   
   
   What would you do if you bump into an odd looking guy today who claims that he was the first person to see spots on the sun, moon craters, and the "four stars" of Venus? I bet you'll think the guy is a nut. That's why I have reason to believe that a lot of people in Galileo's time thought he was a first class psychotic. By the use of a telescope, he scanned the Milky Way and saw stars never seen before by any scientist. After his discoveries, he instantly became a Copernican (believing in the Heliocentric Theory). What else can I say? Galileo was a very smart and courageous man, but whew, what a name. There's no way anyone can get me to name my future kids after him.

3. Johannes Kepler

   
   
   A scholarly scientific magazine referred to Kepler as a "versatile theoritician". Now I don't know what that means. I can imagine he was similar to Mel Gibson's character in the film "Conspiracy Theory". But kidding aside, Kepler was the one who theorized the three laws of planetary motion and his statements became the basis for the pattern and movement of spacecraft and satellites that orbit the earth.

4. Isaac Newton

   
   
   When I was in grade school, my teacher illustrated to us the theories of Isaac Newton. She (our teacher) told us to attach a string to a small ball and then start rotating that thing horizontally above our heads. She further stated that if enough energy was exerted, it would take time before the ball will give in to gravity and it will continue to encircle our head and stay in "orbit". At that time, I thought Newton was a dumb and stupid scientist. Aren't scientists supposed to give us some hard, complicated problems and stuff? Any dummy can perform this ball and string thing! It was only during high-school and college that I came to realize just how brilliant Newton was. This guy actualy formulated the Law Of Gravitation and the laws of motion, two very important concepts in the study of the behaviour of heavenly bodies. He was also an expert in integral and differential calculus. Sorry Newton, I misjudged you.

5. William Herschel

   
   
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   Funny how coincidence can change the destiny of an individual. William Herschel was a musician by profession. But for some reason, he unintentionaly acquired a telescope. This started within him a lifelong fascination with the study of space and heavenly bodies. After many years of studying outer space, he became famous after discovering the planet Uranus. There were no Pulitzer Prize or Time Magazine Man Of The Year awards during those days, so Herschel never had the chance to stand behind a podium and make a speech. And another thing, we can't eat Uranus, but at least it became an additional item to our Science exams.

6. Albert Einstein

   
   
   Ok, these next fellow we're about to discuss is one big fish. Albert Einstein was the first man to prove that gravitation bends light, which later gave birth to a term called "relativity". As he continued to develop and prove this concept, he came up with the now household formula, E=mc squared. I don't blame the kids nowadays for thinking that Einstein was the one who invented the Atomic Bomb. We cannot deny that Einstein's brilliant idea gave way for the massive carnage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki a few decades later. But come on, let's be nice and gentle to this guy Albert. He was reportedly a loner and introvert. If you will be so kind to join him to lunch, who knows, he might help you with a math problem or two.

7. Edwin Hubble

   
   
   Although Hubble looks like a mysterious machine operator from the film Star Trek, you better think twice about making fun of him. He invented a very powerful telescope called the Hubble Space Telescope (I bet this guy's having an ego trip). Anyway,the Hubble telescope broke man's concept regarding the boundaries of the universe. Through the eyes of Edwin Hubble and his invention, scientists were able to behold the massive and limitless splendor of the universe. With the discovery of the expanding cosmos, "Hubble brought us a giant step closer to understanding the origins of the universe" (National Geographic Magazine, 1974). After his death in 1953, he left a legacy to the history of space exploration -- a challenge to the future generations to continue expanding our understanding of the vast cosmos.