Friday 15 March 2013

The Quantum Nose

New research shows that strange quantum phenomena are responsible for our sense of smell.
The conventional wisdom is that it's a molecule's specific shape that allows our noses to distinguish between one smell and another. But there is new evidence that it is the frequency of the molecule's vibration, a quantum effect that's all important.
Olfactory  scientist  Dr Luca Turin  of the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center in Greece, has set about gathering evidence of quantum phenomena up our nostrils.  He created a smelly molecule  cyclopentadecanone , specifically for the job. The molecule comes in two forms - both are the same shape but vibrate at a different frequencies . He found that volunteers were able to distinguish the two versions.
But Turin faces an up hill battle to get his theory to take hold - other olfactory scientists have been sniffy about the idea. Asked  if this new evidence would change things. Turin said, " I don't think so, I take the Max Plank point of view - people don't change their mind , they just die.
I found this story interesting because once again it demonstrates our resistance to change , our resistance to seeing things in new ways. It is always a battle for us to let go of beliefs even when they limit us and block us from more interesting and rewarding lives and work.
This just confirms the importance of work like Tai Chi , meditation etc , modalities  that open our minds to the possible , rather than the expected .

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