Biological complexity: how we smell odors (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, May 26, 2016, 18:36 (3103 days ago) @ David Turell

David's Comment: I've presented the beginning of the article, the problem. The author is looking for a solution. We can smell too much for lock and key. (Note my bolded sentence) He proposes looking at electron currents in his future research.-Being afraid of space limitations, I kept comments short. My point in presenting this is the amazing system that is being uncovered, which is thought to involve electron tunneling in a biologic system, a quantum process seen in photosynthesis, which illustrates that quantum mechanics is probably everywhere in biologic evolution. Not surprising, since QM is the basis of everything.-What is surprising is how did evolution see a future need for smelling all these odors, many of which are not predator smell, obviously a necessary one? Although the author dies not state it, I'm sure, like color, the capacity to differentiate is learned. Once again I view this as a drive for complexification, not for survival: men love perfume on women, but that is a late arrival in society, and we were breeding for many years before its arrival. This is one area where humans have a lesser ability than other animals, but we don't need it. We train dogs to follow criminal trails, to spot drugs, etc. We have our 'smarts' to close the gap.