NOSE/SMELL WEBSITE REVIEWS
Anatomy and Physiology I, Fall 2006
Yavapai College
If you would like to do this topic, please click on "edit" and make your sign-up entry, according to the website review instructions, in one of the seven slots below. That space will then be yours to posts your potential websites for reviewing and then your two website reviews. Please let me know by e-mail of any problem with editing the wiki or any postings that do not show up when you quit editing. Please be sure you always copy and paste your postings from a word processing file so you have a backup. You can also paste web links and graphics into this page and use the editing window word processing tools, just like you would in Word or any other word processor.
Hey everyone check out #7 Shannon B it's late...but I welcome any reviews
STUDENT 1:
Hi Larry this Robert In tuesdays lab Because I can not smell I think it would be good to find out more about the noise and smell and how it works.
Robert, thanks, got you down for Smell, LF--wow, can't smell at all--wonder why that is, it must be quite a loss!
The Nose Knows (http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/nose_noSW.html) is a major web site designed especially for kids. It is well written using humor and easy to understand language, while getting a lot of valuable information across. When the authors encounter a difficult word or concept they take time to make sure the reader can pronounce the word and understands the concept
How Does the Nose Know-An Alphabet of Odor (www.scienceagogo.com/news/19990221150637data_trunc_sys.shtml-32k-) is a minor site despite the fact that it explains in detail how “1,000 receptors can describe many thousands of odors” that is about all it does.
The Nose at (http://.sghhealth4u.com.sg/health4U/otolaryngology/the_nose.htm) is a major site explaining breathing and obstructions in adults and children. It also explains how the nose filters out contaminants and what happens when this system fails. The authors discuss humification, smell, aesthetics, taste and how all of these things pertain to the nose.
How Stuff Works (http://health.howstuffworks.com/question139.htm) is a minor website containing very few pages. It does have links to other websites that are pertinent to this category, but this website is a one page website that is short and to the point.
Robert,
Your first site, KidsHealth, is a good major site, I agree. Should have plenty of pages on smell related issues and their information is usually good. Your second site ScienceAGogo opened to a page that had nothing—perhaps the article is no longer there. Seems like na interesting site in general, but I’d like to see the specific page you linked to—the description you give certainly has me intrigued.
Your third link doesn’t work so I’m not sure what the site is.
Your fourth link to How StuffWorks, I agree, could be a minor site. Be sure you try and figure out who has written the article because I think anyone who wants to can contribute to that site.
Good luck,
LF
By Robert Weatherhead
A&P Tuesday Lab
The Anatomy of the Nose
What’s that smell? The Nose Knows at http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/nose_noSW.html reviews the nose and smell link on a very down to earth level for children so they can grasp some tricky concepts.
The main topic of this website is the nose, its different parts, how it works, and how the nose not only lets us smell, but also influences our other senses. Kids Health organization posted this website for the purpose of educating children in a very informal and interesting setting. Its main strengths are that they take a subject that is medically based and put it into a child friendly format. They phonetically help the kids sound out some of the more difficult words, and then go one to define the word making the concept understandable. Its one weakness is perhaps it could have been a bit longer with more graphics (one picture is worth a thousand words, right??)
This website relates to the anatomy and physiology of the nose by explaining the different parts of the nose i.e. nostrils, septum, and cartilage, how all the different parts work what they do and where they are located. It then goes on to explain that the air enters the nasal cavity and passes through the throat, trachea and windpipe where it finally ends up in your lungs.
After a detailed description of the nose and its parts this website goes on to discuss what happens as the air goes through the nose for example the air is warmed and moistened, and filtered before it goes to the lungs. It explains how the mucus captures dust, germs and small particles before the air gets to your lungs so your lungs won’t be damaged. It explains how a sneeze can remove these dirt, pollen and germ particles.
The website discusses how your sense of smell aids your other senses, the example they give is toast burning in the toaster (time to take it out) or smelling smoke before you see the fire. It then explains the olfactory epithelium with its receptors that are sensitive to order molecules that travel in the air, and how the brain interprets the combination of receptors to recognize different smells.
The last section of the website talks about taste and much we would miss if we didn’t have our sense of smell (think of the last time you had a head cold). The ability to smell your food before you taste it allows your brain to get into gear remembering every tasty morsel of that pumpkin pie before it ever hits your tongue.
Home Page http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/index.html
Diagrams of the nose Human 3D Diagram of the human nose
MINOR LINK HOW THE NOSE KNOWS
The website http://health.howstuffworks.com/question139.htm includes the explanation of how you are able to smell. It explains how the volatile molecules float through the air and into your nose, without these molecules we wouldn’t smell anything. It also states that a piece of steel has nothing to evaporate from it (steel is a non-volatile solid) in other words steel has no smell. It goes on to discuss the patch or neurons located at the top of your nasal passages behind your nose, these neurons are unique because they are out in the open where they come in contact with the air so they can recognize the smell.
This article also explains how humans can smell over 10,000 different smells detected by olfactory receptor neuron which line the inside of the nose. Each of the receptors are encoded by a gene, if the gene is damaged or DNA is missing it will cause you to be unable to smell certain odorants.
Hi John, Great job I had a problem getting into your link www.nasal.net/laserhtm but other than that every thing else was awesome. I never knew that one’s memory of a smell lasted longer than a memory of a picture. Robert Hi Jennifer, Very well written and informative, when I clicked onto your link I got the message “wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name” I guess you went to the other sites that it mentioned, I was a little confused. I couldn’t find your minor web review; I’ll continue to look for it. Robert
Hi Erica, The Smell Report was very interesting I think I liked that link best. I had no idea that woman’s olfactory abilities where superior to men’s. All your links opened, but I couldn’t find your minor web review. Robert
Robert, thanks for being up-to-date.
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Robert,
Really nice writing style—your voice just comes through. And I enjoyed your view of these websites. Your major review should have links to three sub-parts of the review—my only complaint.
PTS FOR REVIEW: 40
Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 90
LF
STUDENT 2:
Hi this is John Drish from MW class. I am interested in the nose and smell portion because i have had bad allergies my entire life. This also runs in my family. I think doing research on this topic will give me a better understanding of how and why my nose does what it does!
John, thanks, got you down for Smell, LF--yes, allergies, the linings of the nasal cavities, sinuses, serious problems for many people!
www.faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nosek.html this is a great website for beginners on the nose and smelling
www.sinusinfocenter.com another great website for sinus sufferers and lots of information
www.nasal.net for chronic nasal and sinus dysfunction
Update 11-24-06: Thank you to everyone who gave feedback. I changed the way a few things look on my portion of the website and made it a little easier to link the review to the website. Robert, i fixed the link to the laser surgury part of my minor site review....should work fine now!
Centers for chronic nasal and sinus dysfunction (minor site)
http://www.nasal.net/laser.htm
This site is the site I like because of its ablility to explain different treatments in an easy to understand way. The treatment portion of the website explains how certain symptoms can lead from a nuisance to a serious medical problem. Those that suffer from sinus trouble should check out the treatment area. One of the newest treatments out there is laser treatment. This can treat turbinates that are out of control and cause shrinkage of these swollen areas. It also tells about sleep apnea, which is a problem when your snore and you stop breathing during sleep. The last one on this page is nasal obstruction which can be cause by swelling of the sinus or "sinus congestion. This can also be corrected with laser surgery.
This site is a little weak in the fact it does not explain in enough detail on how this procedure is done. But does give you a good foundation on different options for treatment of sinus problems.
Sense of Smell.org (major site)
www.senseofsmell.org this is a site on fragrance research and education center....i think this is interesting!!!
http://www.senseofsmell.org/about/sponsors.php (sponsors for sense of smell. org)
This web-site has many different links to look at. The first being “smell 101” is a great way to learn about how the olfactory system works. Molecules pass over cilia in the nose that sends "scent" signals to our brain. It tells us we can smell over 10,000 different types of odors. It also explains in detail, with pictures, how the process of smelling occurs. http://www.senseofsmell.org/feature/smell101/index.php
Another fun portion of this web-site is fun facts that most people don’t know about in the olfactory system. For instance did you know that your memory of a smell lasts longer than a photo memory. You can remember a smell after year better than you can remember visual memories. Also, no two people smell in the same way or get the same sense of smell. This would explain why some people like certain perfumes and others don’t. Another interesting fact is that women can sense smell better than men can. The list goes on and on. Check out this portion of the web-site to see more about the olfactory facts that most people don’t know about. http://www.senseofsmell.org/funfacts_main.php
There is another portion of this website that houses scientific articles and research. I found this to be an extremely interesting portion of the site because it has research from a broad range of topics. Some of these topics include aroma-chology, odor perception, genetics, pheromones, and diseases. http://www.senseofsmell.org/resources/library.php
This site has almost everything that I can think of to ask about the sense of smell. It has information about nasal problems and also links to other sites on information on how to help with certain disorders. Overall I found this to be a great way to do some research on the olfactory system and found that I was reading more that I had initially intended to. Check it out! http://www.senseofsmell.org/index.php
This information was taken from the sense of smell institute.
John Drish
John, interesting websites. The first link, unfortunately, didn’t open. I think your last one is really interesting and would be a great major website review. I’d never heard of that institute and they seem to have a reallyh interesting focus on scietns and how we perceive them. Your other two, on sinus prolems, also seem like fairly in-depth websites, either could be major websites for your reviews. You might have to choose one page or one article from those sitges to do a minor website review.
Good luck,
LF
John, thanks for being up-to-date.
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
John, nice interesting reviews of some great sites. My only complaint—you should tell us who is posnting the site and why right at the start of your reviews.
PTS FOR REVIEW: 40
Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 90
LF
STUDENT 3:
Hi this is Kimberly Harvey from Tuesday Lab. I have always had difficulties with my allergies until 5 months ago I had a nose surgery that eased some pressure. I think studying this topic I will be able learn more about my nose.
Kimberly, thanks, got you down for Smell, LF --hmm.. it will be interesting to relate your results from your surgery to what you can find out!
Major Sites
I chose the E Health MD website based the material it provided about my allergies and the surgery that was preformed to improve my breathing. This site provided me with pictures that demonstates surgical procedure that I have experienced and might continue. It was more equivalent to my situation in the past and present to how my nasal structure and breathing has improved.
I found it to be helpful and full of information. It may not be but I thought it to be close enough.
Minor Sites
I considered this site of the Fact Sinus Sheet to be minor because there is little information that is provided. There are helpful tips but they are just general facts that are known with no greater detail. Still helpful but little I can gain from.
I found this to be a minor because it gives some after affects of surgery that I could relate too. It give some helpful information that I could come back to when recording my reviews.
Kim, nice job choosing your websites. I couldn’t get the first one to open, but WebMD would definitely be a good major website and I completely agree with your reasons for choosing your two minor websites and either one would be a good one to review as a minor. I can tell you did a good job already looking through these sites and you're set to go...just have to choose which ones to review!. Good luck,
LF
Sinus Surgery
The ehealth website provides relevant information on surgery of the nostrils to relieve blockages from your sinuses and have air flow through
http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endosinus/ESS_whatis.html .
Using this website I focused more on the endoscopic sinus surgery . EheatlhMD went into detail to how this form of surgery can improve breathing, smell and taste along with correcting sinusitis, deviate septum, polyps and tumors. This website was put out as an option with any of the conditions above to take into consideration for yourself or others. It provides information on the procedure, what is necessary or not, and answered common questions that could relate to anyone. The strong points of this site is its organized information. Its weak point is the lack of informative visuals that could have been of help.
The website deals the frontal, ethmoid, maxillary, sphenoid and septum of the nose. These are the ones that are affected as the procedure is done. The olfactory nerve extends through the cribiform plate into the nasal cavity or both sides of the nasal septum. With this procedure it could obviously interfere with olfaction senses.
There are four sinus cavities: maxillary, ethmoid, frontal and sphenoid. http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endosinus/ESS_sinuses.html Each channel leads to the nose. The mucous membrane is a moist, slimy sticky that collects any dust, smoke, bacteria or virus material in the air. The sinus move in and out of our spaces and skull. Mucous also drains from here out to our nose too. It reduces the weight of our skull and gives our voice a nicer sound.
Some causes of Sinuitis are: allergies, virus, bacteria, asthma, poor air quality and much more. The link http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endosinus/ESS_sinuses.html gives a much longer list. Going through with this procedure there is a better chance of enhancing your taste and smelling senses.
As past operations through the cheek area, this new procedure brought less pain, leaves no visible scars and causes less bleeding are just some advantages that can improve your breathing. http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endosinus/ESS_endo.html . With past surgeries as they cut, some senses were unable to smell properly anymore.
With my minor site WebMD, it provided other nasal surgery options that are less painful, but with this new endoscopic surgery there are greater results. In the past, surgery where conducted in the cheek area which brought more pain. I never knew there were sinus X-rays. Interesting. http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/sinus/sinus_surgery.cfm
Kimberly Harvey.
Kimberly, thanks for your hard work so far.
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Kim , nice review especially of the major site with good details. I think you needed to provide a bit mjore background and detail on what is there for the minor site.
PTS FOR REVIEW: 40
Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 90
LF
http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endosinus/ESS_whatis.html .
STUDENT 4:
Hi this is Thomasa Rager and I am in lab on Mondays. I would like to do nose and smell because I have been getting sinuse infections since I was three. I would like to learn more about sinuses and my nose and how it affects my sense of smell.
Thomasa, thanks, got you down for smell. That doesn't sound like much fun--maybe you'll find out something helpful! LF
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/7/1680_51928.htm
I choose this one as a major website because it talks about the sinuses and how it works.
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/sinusitis.htm
I choose this website for a major website because it discusses about sinus infections and research how to prevent them and fix them. Both of these websites relate to my topic and go into more depth about sinus infections.
http://www.umm.edu/ent/smell.htm
This website is just an extra one that I found interesting and talks about smell and taste disorders.
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/nose_noSW.html
This is a minor website because it talks about the parts of the nose and why it is important.
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html
This is a minor website because it talks about the olfactory system and gives out fun little facts.
Thomas,
Nice job choosing websites. Yes, your first two are definitely major websites. The National institues of Health with tons of information right from the government and researchers who work on smell…the second one WebMD, also with lots of generally good quality articles. I agree that KidHealth, if you stick to that one page, would be a minor website. I really liked your last one and hope you will review it. It is a minor website in just having theone page, but boy is there a lot of info on that page—it looks like it’s posted by a university professor who probably uses it for a class or seminar or something like that—looks like it’s from a British university and it sure did have a lot of good technical info.
Good luck,
LF
Thomasa,
I'm not sure if you're planning to complete this assignment, but you still need to do your website reviews.
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
STUDENT 5:
Jennifer Fraser
Thursday Lab
Growing Technology Thus Growing Knowledge of Ageless Senses
In this world that is continually evolving our current knowledge is always being updated with new and certain information. I chose http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/olfacation as my main web site to guide my through the updated information about the nose and smell, olfaction. I also chose this site as a major and important one due to the fact that the last update was November 8, 2006. As history has proved itself, education and knowledge are always changing. I thought that a site that took its time to update you with the most current information would definitely be a qualified place to start any search.
Wikipedia.org is an online guide and reference to almost anything you are searching for. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is who puts this site and its links to use for many people to use. I see the purpose of this site as a useful tool for anyone, from googling to a doctor’s newest tool. The strengths this site has are endless. You can spend hours upon hours jumping from page to page and links to links. I quickly learned useful information just quickly reading a page and also gained helpful insights to the purpose of this assignment. I chose the nose and smell because it was something I had never really learned about. With this one web site I gathered much information. I learned an interesting fact; mammals have 1000 genes determining specific odor reception. The little weakness in this site is the lack of initial images. All you have to do is click on the links or highlighted words and it will quickly bring you to the definition and visuals, but for some instances initial images is everything.
This web site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/olfacation, is not only relevant, but I see it as a “hand in hand” partnership with anatomy and physiology. When researching anatomy and physiology all resources are very useful and important. When I first learned about ion gated channels and action potential, I learned that in the basic human biology class. This site guides you through all elements of biology and physiology. For example, in mammals the odorants stimulate Adenyl Cyclase to synthesize cAMP via a G-protein. cAMP is the second messenger which opens a cyclic-nucleotide-gated Ion channel, (CNG.) This one example is very specific, which should be familiar to anyone who has taken a human biology class. That is how it relates back to anatomy and physiology in just one example. There are many minor web sites and links within this one( http://www.innerbody.com/anim/nasal.html ), thus which is why they are minor within this major site.
PEER WEB REVIEWS
11/20/2006
ROBERT WEATHERHEAD (student 1):
I enjoyed your web site and in fact, used it as a tool when I was writing mine! I thought it was well written and descriptive. All of the links I used were working and very interesting! I could say that maybe more links of images within your paper, but I do realize that is rather tedious to do!
JOHN DRISH (student 2):
I also enjoyed your review; I thought it was written well and informative. I loved the images right there within your review! All of the links worked and were interesting and easy to follow. I think maybe lining up all the paragraphs might be easier to follow due to all the chaos in this entire “wiki” page!!
KIMBERLY HARVEY (student 3):
I did not find a web review; it might just be me because I am not too computer literate!!
THOMASA RAGER (student 4):
I also did not find a review.
ERIKA BROWN (student 6)
I enjoyed your review and thought it was well written. I liked how you understood the web site’s information enough to make educated comments about the scientific reasoning behind smell and social issues. Isn’t it exciting to be able to do that! I would say your name at the top of the organized page would be great (all the comments and such posted on this page starts to get real confusing!!).
Hello there Dr. Frolich, this is Jennifer Fraser in your Thursday lab. I chose the nose and smell becuase I think that is an interesting subject that may be discarded too quickly sometimes. I also have a weird ability of smelling everything!!! Thanks a lot...Jennifer
http://www.sff.net/people/mberry/taste.htm
I chose this site as a major one becuase it goes into depth about much of the head, nose smell and taste. I was oblivious what was all involved with the nose and smell. Here, i can find all the main details and further my search with more specific details knowing now the basics.
http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/996web/smell.html
I also chose this one as a major site due to the information provided. Much of what is written in this site would not be familiar to the general population. Thus being some what familiar to us A & P 1 students!
http://www.innerbody.com/anim/nasal.html
This one i chose as a minor site. I thought it was a shorter article but interesting facts, plus the pictures to the right were helpful to know hte anatomy of the nose. Plus the site seems beneficial to all aspects ot anatomy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfaction
I chose this one as a minor one. It has very good in-depth information but also a shorter one. i think all the web sites are usefull and important in their own ways. It all depends on what type of information you're looking for.
Jennifer, thanks, got you down for smell. yes, some people have a much more sensitive sense of smell than others--why?? good question. Please be sure you don't miss the next deadline or you won't get the points.
LF
Jennifer, thanks for the interesting sites. I would probably classify all of them as minor sites. The first one is primarily focused on the sense of taste. I liked the second one…kind of a cute online article on some interesting stuff related to sense of smell. The third one is from an online anatomy text…I’ve seen it before and it does have some nice overview information…doesn’t tend ot go into very much detail and I think the site is mostly geared towards trying to sell us more detailed A and P learning tools. Your last one, the wikipedia article, is good…well-written and with a lot of information. I thought the links at the end of the article were really good and ought to provide you with a great major website to review.
Good luck,
LF
Jennifer, thanks for being up-to-date.
STUDENT 6:Hi Larry this is Erica Brown in the Tuesday class, I want to do smell because it is interesting to me how it relates to taste and can trigger memories.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/O/Olfaction.html
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/nose_noSW.html
http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html
The Olfactory System
http://www.sirc.org/index.html
The Social issues research centre is a nonprofit organization that provides research concerning social behaviors based evidence rather than ideology. The main topic of the web site is simply social issues and how they can be explained through research and rational thinking. The main goal of SIRC is to provide people with information that is open and thoughtful thus giving an objective perspective on social issues. Establishing such as goal as that makes SIRC a powerful resource from which to gain information. In addition to this strength, SIRC also provides an easy layout to search a specific topic, including the availability of many current and updated articles. Despite the easy access, SIRC does not include graphics within their text. This is a downfall for this web site because the understanding of the topic could be further enhanced with the use of illustrations. Another downfall of the SIRC web site is that they promote the social issues of the olfactory system rather than very many scientific explanations such as how our sense of smell works anatomically speaking. However the social issues do affect our anatomy in many ways. For instance under the heading, The Human Sense of Smell, http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_human.html, a good explanation is given for our sense of smell as it relates to our mental and physical health. On example given is that of people who suffer from schizophrenia, depression, or low-weight anorexics, such people are known to experience olfactory dysfunctions. Age is also a factor in our sense of smell as well as gender. Our sense of smell is said to be at it’s peak at age eight and women are better known for their ability to smell. A better explanation for a woman sense of smell is given under the heading, sex differences. http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_diffs.html, Researchers have found that women have a keener sense of smell than men. They blame this finding on the menstrual cycle and that during ovulation the woman’s sense of smell is said to increase by up to 10,000 times the normal capacity. However this provides no explanation for the same results found in female children as compared to male children.
One interesting issue of smell is connected to emotion and it’s relation to memory. http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_emotion.html, under the Emotion hading SIRC gives a brief overview of smell and mood. Researchers have discovered that a person’s perception of smell derives directly from the experience with that fragrance. These experiences usually bear an emotional factor which in turn triggers an emotional reaction. Therefore concluding that sense of smell plays a role in our mood. For example, pleasant smells have been found to have a positive effect on both mental and physical health.
http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/UBNRP/Smell/smell.html
A great and interesting quality of this web site is that it is clear and easy to understand. They have also included a definitions link to aid those who perhaps do not know the meaning of certain anatomical terms. They also present a variety of good information and cover many topics related to the olfactory system. However their lack of graphics and rather straight forward layout is somewhat plain and makes it easy to loose interest. There was one interesting diagram giving a step by step explination for how our sense of smell works, however I was unable to paste it to this page.
Peer reviews:
Robert: I thought your review was a very nice summary of what the web sites covered, however you did not really mention the strengths and weaknesses. Good Job!
John: Great review, you really touched on every area of the web site, I also liked the graphics you inserted.
Jennifer: I thought you had a very thorough review and I agree Wikipedia is an awesome resource.
Erica, thanks, I've got you down for smell. Remember that for the next step, you not only need four websites with info on your topic but a paragarph with the information about each of these sites as in the instructions I've posted for this assignment. Please be sure you read those. . Yes, the connetion between smell and memories isfascinating!
LF
Erica, thanks for the interesting sites. Please be sure to read the instructions fo the website reviews because you were supposed to give me a paragraph with each site telling me whether yout hin kit is a major or mionr website. Your first one is part of an online biology text and this page alone would be a good minor website.
The KidsHealth page would also probably be a good minor website just that page, althohgh the whole KidsHealth website is quite large and would be a major website if you tried to review the whole thing, but obviously most of it has nothing to do with the sense of smell or the nose.
I think your third link is fascinating. The SIRC…
Your last link is from a neuroscience course at
Good luck
LF
Erica, thanks for being up-to-date.
Erica,
Very interesting sites and nice in-depath reviews, especially the major one. I do like that minor site as a good overview…nice discovery..I hadn’t seen it before.
PTS FOR REVIEW: 50
Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 100
LF
STUDENT 7:
Hey this is Shannon Bohager from Tues. lab. I'm a little behind, but better late than never right!!! I picked this topic because smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. I think it's facinating that certain smells can trigger strong emotions. Also I'm interested in the" mechanics" of smell. Thanks
http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_smellAndTheOlfactorySystem
Minor Website: This is just a website with a basic overview of the mechanics of the olfactory system. I think that it's necessary to understand the fundamentals, before I go exploring into disorders etc. There are some nice images. I am a visual learner so I like that.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39586
This is the HOME PAGE click onto "Smell Disorders". Major Website: There is some basic info again on the mechanics of the olfactory system. However, I really like this site not only because it's easy to navigate- but because it has alot of info on disorders, causes, tx etc. This is more broad info. the unusual stuff!
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web3/reineke3.html
Major website: INTERESTING lots of info. Explores the "Lock and Key" theory of odors which I saw alot of in searching for my websites, but explains it in easier to understand language. This website adresses the seven basic odors, which is interesting as well. Smell tied to memory info finally...SCORE!
http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/ARTICLES/odors.asp
Minor website: Very interesting also. Adresses "Lock and Key " theory but also challenges the validity of that Shapist theory. Explores the Vibrational theory in depth. Good images. I wanted diversity in the websites I picked while staying on topic.Good.
Good luck,
LF
Dr. Frolich I made some changes to my earlier postings. I have totally changed all the websites. I think this is alot better!
- I am not very versatile on the computer. I tried!! SHANNON BOHAGER
It’s Right Under Our Noses: The Importance of Smell to Science and Our Lives.
This website discusses how very important our sense of smell is in our every day lives. Smell is often labeled, “the forgotten sense”. It’s amazing that we are constantly gathering messages from our external environment, through the translation of chemical clues. Smell is great because it’s essentially an, “advanced warning system,” because unlike some of the other special senses- we can smell from a distance. We each have two nostrils and those nostrils are not identical (I thought they were), they are actually two different systems. That explains why we can differentiate the direction of a smell. Our smell centers, which are located in our nasal mucosa-, play a substantial part in environmental orientation (smell clues) as well as communication/ recognition of each other, and recollection of memory.
http://www.digiscents.com/blog/index.php
Nasal mucosa |
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| The mucosa, or mucous membrane, is a type of tissue that lines the nasal cavity. Mucous membranes are usually moist tissues that are bathed by secretions such as in the nose. |
The nasal mucosa contain receptor cells…about 10 million !
The olfactory receptor cells lead to the neocortex section of the brain. This section referred to as the LIMBIC section of the brain is the part that deals with emotion pleasure and memory. The average human being can discriminate between 4,000 to 10,000 various odor molecules.
THEORIES:
The LOCK and KEY THEORY> claims that each odor can be distinguished from another by its very shape. This theory states that there are in fact seven primary odors,
1. Camphor
2. Musk
3. Floral
4. Peppermint
5. Ether
6. Pungent
7. Putrid
This theory states that each smell has a certain shaped receptor site, and the longer it takes to diffuse an odor- and its molecules- the stronger it is.
INFARED CODING W/SMELL
This is another theory which has been basically disproved- that links pigments in olfactory cells with odors, and claims that they cause a unique semiconductor current.( infrared vibrations ) The problem with this theory is that the body generated it’s own infrared heat, and therefore can’t be properly scientifically measured.
Chemical Communication:
Smell plays a very important role in the communication between animals. In the animal world – animals can distinguish their own young (even twins) from others, and the same with children and their mothers. Mate selection, fear, and sibling recognition are some other important aspects of smell in the animal world. It is interesting that in rodents studies and possibly human studies that we each seem to choose mates based on them having different odors. The theory behind that phenomena is that is could aide in genetic diversity within a species/ population. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0006/senses/
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4149493
Those are some very interesting w sites related to smell and the role it plays in mating, and other important roles in both the human and animal world.
Smell and Memory they are in fact closely linked. The temporal cortical region of our brain deals with memory, and when that area is damaged we lose our ability to differentiate smells as well. Studies have proven that if learning is done with the addition of smell, there is a greater instance recollection…like sensory cues aide in learning and information retention.Smellcan be used as a therapeutic tool, something like “Pavlov’s Dogs”.
Minor web site, Smell and the Olfactory System:
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Photo credit: Gray's Anatomy This diagram shows the receptor neurons in the nose that convert odors to electrical signals that the brain can interpret. |
The olfactory system senses and processes info. For most animals it is the primary method of communication. The nose contains specialized nerve cells, with cilia on the ends.
Glomeruli:
Specialized structures with which olfactory neurons are able to communicate and connect with other types of neurons in the body.
There are efforts being made to regrow neurons that may be damaged in persons that have lost their ability to smell, or whose sense of smell has deteriorated.
Our sense of smell combines with our brain’s information about taste, to finally determine a sense of flavor. All of this information is stored in the brain’s cortex.
Genes have receptor cites which appear to control other types of chemical sensing, for instance a sperms ability to “smell out” an egg. Obviously the sense of smell is crucial for even the most basic life functions.
John Drish thanks so much for your nice comments. I think mine is the best too!!
Shannon, thanks for your hard work so far,
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I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
no more than seven students for this topic--sorry?
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Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 70
Four websites: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Four websites: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Sign-up: 10 pts
Four websites: 20 pts
Peer evaluations: 20 pts
I'll start reading your final drafts of your website reviews next Monday, Nov. 27th, so please have it ready by then. LF
Jennifer, I didn’t see a minor review and your major review should have included links to three sub-parts of the site…I recommended the wikipedia article as a minor review.
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Have a nice break,
TOTAL PTS: 70
LF