In today’s show, adapted from an article written by Fariss Samarrai, Senior News Officer for the UVa News Department, we look at a University of Virginia study, which indicates that air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying the fragrance of flowers and thereby possibly inhibiting the ability of pollinating insects to locate flowers, and may partially explain why certain populations of these pollinators are on the decline.
Of the five senses, smell is one that is sometimes taken for granted in our everyday lives. For most animals, the ability to distinguish scents is a large part of their everyday survival function, as has been attested to in an earlier broadcast entitled, “Inside the brain of crayfish.” For insects, the same is true…
For more information about the show or to see the full text, visit the Oscar Show’s blog.