第2252期:What your scent says about you

Have you ever wondered what your unique body odour says about you? Turns out, quite a lot! From your health to your genetics, we can learn a lot from taking a whiff of your odour. Your scent is a complex mix of information, and we humans are pretty good at reading it. So, what secrets are revealed from our scent, and why do we mostly choose to ignore them?

您是否想知道您独特的体味代表着您的什么？ 事实证明，相当多！ 从你的健康状况到你的基因，我们可以通过闻一闻你的气味了解很多信息。 你的气味是一种复杂的信息组合，而我们人类非常善于解读它。 那么，我们的气味揭示了哪些秘密，为什么我们大多选择忽视它们呢？

Researchers believe scent production is mostly determined by our genes. In a study published in Chem Senses by Craig Roberts and colleagues, participants had to match T-shirts that smelt the same after sniffing them. They matched the T-shirts of identical twins, meaning their scent was very similar, and those sniffing had quite an accurate sense of smell. Agnieszka Sorokowska, an expert in human olfaction, says this means "we might be able to detect genetic information about other people by smelling them."

研究人员认为，气味的产生主要是由我们的基因决定的。 克雷格·罗伯茨 (Craig Roberts) 及其同事在《Chem Senses》上发表的一项研究中，参与者必须将闻过气味相同的 T 恤进行匹配。 他们的T恤是同卵双胞胎的，这意味着他们的气味非常相似，而且嗅觉的嗅觉也相当准确。 人类嗅觉专家阿格涅斯卡·索罗科斯卡（Agnieszka Sorokowska）表示，这意味着“我们或许能够通过闻其他人的气味来检测他们的遗传信息。”

But it's not all about your genes. In another twin study called 'The Discrimination of Human Odour by the Dog', a dog could distinguish the odour of identical twins living apart. So, your environment can change how you smell, but it might take a dog’s sensitive nose to detect it. Even your health can change how you smell. In a study called 'The Scent of Disease', the BO of someone with diabetes was associated with rotten apples, while those with scurvy had sweat described as 'putrid'. Odour research has also helped to train dogs to detect illnesses such as cancer by scent alone.

但这并不全与你的基因有关。 在另一项名为“狗对人类气味的辨别”的双胞胎研究中，狗可以区分生活在一起的同卵双胞胎的气味。 因此，你的环境可以改变你的气味，但狗可能需要敏感的鼻子才能察觉到它。 甚至您的健康状况也会改变您的气味。 在一项名为“疾病的气味”的研究中，糖尿病患者的 BO 与烂苹果有关，而坏血病患者的汗液被描述为“腐烂”。 气味研究还有助于训练狗仅通过气味来检测癌症等疾病。

Do humans use any of this information? King Louis XIV of France was known to douse his palace in fragrance,perhaps to mask the stench of poor personal hygiene. This trend continues today – many of us cover our natural body odour with sweet or floral-smelling perfumes, and in the process, we may be losing the opportunity to learn more about each other and the world. Maybe it's time to drop the deodorants and pleasant aroma of your favourite perfume and let your natural scent waft around, sending the signals that your body wants to emit.  

人类会使用这些信息吗？ 众所周知，法国国王路易十四在他的宫殿里洒满了香水，也许是为了掩盖不良个人卫生的恶臭。 这种趋势一直延续到今天——我们中的许多人用甜味或花香的香水来掩盖我们自然的体味，在这个过程中，我们可能会失去更多地了解彼此和世界的机会。 也许是时候丢掉你最喜欢的香水中的除臭剂和宜人香气，让你的自然气味四处飘荡，发送你的身体想要发出的信号。  

词汇表

body odour 体味，体臭
take a whiff 闻一闻
scent 气味
sniff 闻，嗅
sense of smell 嗅觉
olfaction 嗅觉
distinguish 分辨
BO （“body odour” 的首字母缩写）体味，体臭
putrid 腐烂的，腐坏的
douse 向…泼洒（液体）
fragrance 香水
stench 恶臭
personal hygiene 个人卫生
perfume 香水
deodorant 除臭剂，香体露
aroma 香味
waft （在空气中）飘荡
emit 发出，散发