WEBVTT - Why Do Books Smell So Good?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey Brainstuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bog Obam here with another classic episode from our archives.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're talking about scent again, this time the complex

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<v Speaker 1>scent of libraries and the complex science of cataloging and

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<v Speaker 1>conserving the sense of places. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog

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<v Speaker 1>Obam Here. If you're like me, you love the smell

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<v Speaker 1>of old fashioned analog paper books, old books, new books,

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<v Speaker 1>and researchers at University College London suggests that these scents

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<v Speaker 1>aren't just nice, they're an important part of the human experience.

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<v Speaker 1>In an extensive study of smells heritage and historic paper

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<v Speaker 1>published in the journal Heritage Science, the authors argue the

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<v Speaker 1>importance of documenting and preserving smells, but why. The researchers

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<v Speaker 1>realized that visitors at St. Paul's Cathedral, Dean and Chapter

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<v Speaker 1>Library in London frequently comment on the arome of the space,

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<v Speaker 1>saying they feel like they can smell history thanks to

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<v Speaker 1>our limbic system. Odors can make us pretty emotional, especially

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<v Speaker 1>when they evoke memories. Sense affect how we experience different

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<v Speaker 1>cultures and places, and help us gain more insight into

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<v Speaker 1>and engage more deeply with the past. The researchers posit

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<v Speaker 1>that smells are part of our cultural heritage and have

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<v Speaker 1>historical value and deserve to be identified, analyzed, and archived

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<v Speaker 1>using chemical analysis and sensory descriptions. The study authors set

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<v Speaker 1>about figuring out a way for scientists and historians to

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<v Speaker 1>do so. In one experiment, the researchers asked visitors at

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<v Speaker 1>the historic library to characterize the odors they smelled. More

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<v Speaker 1>than seventy percent of respondents considered the library smell as pleasant.

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<v Speaker 1>All of the visitors thought it smelled woody, while noticed

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<v Speaker 1>a smokey aroma. Sevent reported an earthy scent, and forty

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<v Speaker 1>one percent said they smelled vanilla. Other less frequent responses

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<v Speaker 1>ranged from musty, too pungent, and floral to in sid

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<v Speaker 1>In another experiment, the study authors analyzed the responses of

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<v Speaker 1>seventy nine visitors to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

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<v Speaker 1>UK to the smell of a historic book from a

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<v Speaker 1>second hand bookstore. To capture the book smell, a piece

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<v Speaker 1>of sterile gauze was soaked in five milli leaders of

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<v Speaker 1>an extract of the book odor and placed in an

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<v Speaker 1>unlabeled metal canister screwed shut to prevent visitors from peaking

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<v Speaker 1>the top three responses when the visitors were prompted to

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<v Speaker 1>describe the smell chocolate, coffee, and old. The team then

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<v Speaker 1>analyzed the volatile organic compounds in the book and the library.

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<v Speaker 1>Most odors are composed of these v o c s,

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<v Speaker 1>which are chemicals that evaporate at low temperatures. VOCs are

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<v Speaker 1>often associated with certain smell types, for example, acetic acid

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<v Speaker 1>smells sour, isoamal acetate smells like bananas. Using the data

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<v Speaker 1>from the chemical analysis and visitors smell descriptions, the researchers

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<v Speaker 1>created the Historic Book Odor Wheel to document an archive

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<v Speaker 1>the Historic library. Smell main categories such as sweet or

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<v Speaker 1>spicy fill the inner circle of the wheel. Descriptors such

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<v Speaker 1>as caramel or biscuits fill the middle, and the chemical

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<v Speaker 1>compounds likely to be the smelly source, like for ferral,

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<v Speaker 1>fill the outer circle. The researchers want the Book Odor

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<v Speaker 1>Wheel to be an interdisciplinary tool that untrained noses can

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<v Speaker 1>use to identify smells and the compounds causing them, which

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<v Speaker 1>could address conservators concerns about material composition and degradation inform

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<v Speaker 1>artifact paper conservation decisions, and benefit ole factory museum experiences.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article researchers create odor

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<v Speaker 1>wheel that breaks down the smell of old books on

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<v Speaker 1>how stuffworks dot com, written by Shelley Danzy. Bring Stuff's

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