Luca Turin, apparently, proved that the prevailing theory for how smell works was wrong. But academic researchers who were not interested in seeing their life's work consigned to the dustbin were not impressed. Professional researchers (i.e., perfume company hacks) were not interested in getting laid off.
So no one believed him. And that's why Chandler Burr calls this a scientific morality tale about the failure of a new idea to take hold because of political and financial pressures.
Not being a scientist, I'm not sure what to believe. But when Burr claims that every major olfaction scientist that he interviewed told him that Turin's work was bunk but, no, they hadn't actually read his paper and they weren't going to because they were too busy, well, it doesn't sound for the anti-Turin camp.
An odd and fascinating book-highly recommended.
BestBooks is a record of all of the books that I have read since November 2004, with brief descriptions and reviews.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
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August
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- Why the Church is as True as the Gospel by Eugene ...
- The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr
- Hearts Petals ed. by Mary Jane Woodger
- Home-Alone America by Mary Eberstadt
- The Parenting Breakthrough by Merilee Boyack
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- The Book: A History of the Bible
- An American Life by Ronald Reagan
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2 comments:
Julie -
sounds fascinating. But isn't it spelled "Emperor"?
(sorry - being an English major makes me too sensitive to that sort of thing - not that I'm all that great of speller myself).
Why, I have no idea what you are talking about ;)
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