Did you know that we unconsciously sniff out the perfect partner? And that sniffer dogs—in addition to money and drugs—can detect prostate, ovarian or gastrointestinal cancer from urine samples? The sense of smell is the cover story in the new issue of Technologist.
Of our five senses, the olfactory sometimes seems like a luxury which is hardly essential to our survival. But new research shows that it is just as essential to us humans as it is to e.g. dogs, and that there is a correlation between the lack of the sense of smell and mortality. A large American study has found a correlation between decreased ability to smell and a threefold increased risk of dying within five years. Although canines still take the lead when it comes to sniffing out smells, the latest research shows that machines such as the e-nose can replace sniffer dogs in e.g. airports.
You can read about all this and much more in the latest issue of DTU's international magazine.
Either too much or too little power
Technologist also highlights one of the major challenges in connection with getting our energy from renewable sources: how we store the energy so it's there when we need it?
If Europe is to become independent of fossil fuels, we have solved the problem with renewable energies either producing too much or too little power. Scientists across Europe are working to resolve the problem; Professor Ib Chorkendroff from DTU Physics suggests using catalysis to reap both power and hydrogen directly from solar radiation, in one single process. You can also get acquainted with seven new technologies to store power—from lithium-ion batteries to advanced electromagnetic super-conductors.
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