Prompt Cast
The Science and Cultural Practices of Body Odor
TLDR Body odor is unique to each individual and cannot be masked or altered, and is caused by sweat glands producing sweat with cellular detrius that is eaten by bacteria, resulting in the production of fatty acids. The idea that there are differences in body odor among races is controversial, and there are various cultural practices and remedies for avoiding body odor.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Body odor is unique to each individual and cannot be masked or altered, as it is like a smelly fingerprint that can be used to identify someone.
05:05
There are different kinds of sweat glands in the body, including ekring glands that secrete water and electrolytes to regulate body temperature and do not produce a smell, and apocrine sweat glands that produce sweat with cellular detrius that can cause body odor.
09:33
Apocrine sweat glands produce sweat with cellular detrius that is eaten by bacteria, which then poop out fatty acids, causing body odor.
14:48
The idea that there are differences in body odor among races is highly controversial and based on outdated and unreliable data.
19:51
Cosmetic company Shiseido has identified the fatty acid responsible for "old people smell" and is working to combat it, while certain odor types are genetically based and can be inherited.
25:01
The hosts discuss various cultural practices involving body odor, such as a tribe in New Guinea rubbing each other's armpits before parting ways and people in Elizabethan times soaking apples in their armpit sweat as a gesture of love.
29:50
The hosts discuss the history of deodorant and the importance of personal grooming in preventing body odor.
34:45
Some natural remedies for avoiding body odor include using boric acid, vinegar, witch hazel, baking soda, rosemary oil, and tea tree oil.
39:36
Some other smells that one can produce include asparagus pee, maple syrup urine disorder, fish odor syndrome, and phenylkentynuria.
44:51
Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally high sweating, and there are various treatments available such as surgery, ion tophoresis, and Botox injections, while bromhydrophobia is the fear of stinking from sweating and can lead to excessive showering.
49:58
The hosts discuss various films that accurately depict fencing and dueling, including "The Three Musketeers" and "The Dualists."
Categories:
Society & Culture
