Chapter 8 was definitely one of the most interesting chapters in this book. At first I didn't understand why Shubin chose to start the chapter talking about different types of scientists, since it didn't have anything to do with scents and smell. But it all came together through a single factor: DNA. Once again we are reminded of the importance of DNA. Shubin gave an example of the process of extracting DNA by explaining an experiment using household ingredients. I can't help but wonder if it would actually work. Maybe I'll try it someday (for science :D). It's pretty incredible how our noses can collect so many odor molecules at once, send nerve signals to the brain, and distinguish the kind of smell all under less than a second. I especially liked Shubin's comparison to a chord. I was in choir in junior high and now I'm in color guard, which associates with the band. As you can see, music really interests me, so comparing the way odor is perceived to a chord was quite amusing to me (plus it actually made sense). It was also cool how Buck and Axel got all three of the results they wanted from their experiments. It's interesting how we've evolved to trade some smell genes for better vision. I'd personally prefer to see better than to smell better.
~Bryanna Streeter :)
No comments:
Post a Comment