Exhibit Cross Reference - Garden of Smells Life Sciences Garden of Smells Many animals depend very heavily on their sense of smell. We rely on smell to to warn us of toxic or hazardous substances, to select foods and explore our environment. Unlike insects, which have smell receptors programmed to detect only one or a few specific odors for the identification of a mate or of a particular predetermined food plant, we have cells that delight or annoy us with near infinite variety of input. In spite of its name, this exhibit is a chemistry exhibit.
Chemistry is one subject that is very difficult to deal with in a museum environment.
It is either poisonous, wet, or corrosive. This exhibit shows that ordinary people have a wonderful chemistry laboratory in their noses. This laboratory is able to sense subtle differences in the physical structure of molecules. The exhibit also gives us some interesting clues about the functioning of the brain. Smells, more than almost any other sensory input, call forth very rich memories, full of textures, colors, places, and people from past experience.