elpais.com
Researchers Recreate Historical Smell of Hell for World Expo
A European Union-funded project recreated the smell of Hell, along with other historical scents, for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka using a database of over 2.4 million olfactory mentions from historical sources, highlighting the cultural relativity of smell.
- How did the ODEUROPA project utilize AI and historical data to reconstruct historical smells, and what tools were developed to help preserve olfactory heritage?
- The ODEUROPA project used a database of 2.4 million historical smell mentions to reconstruct scents, demonstrating how smell can be a powerful tool for connecting with the past. The differing reactions to the "Hell" scent – attractive to some Europeans, repulsive to Japanese visitors – reveal cultural differences in olfactory perception.
- What are the potential future implications of the ODEUROPA project's work for museums and historical sites, and how might this research influence our understanding of cultural heritage?
- The project's development of olfactory heritage tools and AI-driven analysis of historical texts and images opens new avenues for preserving and interpreting cultural smellscapes. This work highlights the potential for museums and historical sites to leverage scent to create immersive and memorable visitor experiences.
- What specific scents were recreated by the ODEUROPA project for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, and what do the varied reactions reveal about the subjective nature of olfactory experience?
- Researchers recreated the historical scent of Hell, based on 16th and 17th-century sermons, revealing a mix of sulfur and evocative descriptions like "a million dead dogs." This was one of a dozen historical scents presented at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, highlighting the subjectivity of olfactory experiences across cultures.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The framing emphasizes the success and innovative aspects of the ODEUROPA project. While presenting some contrasting viewpoints, the overall tone is positive and celebratory of the project's achievements. The headline itself focuses on the recreation of the smell of hell, potentially drawing more attention to that specific aspect than to the broader research on olfactory heritage.
Language Bias
The language is generally neutral and informative. However, phrases like "absolutely repugnant" could be considered slightly loaded, though it accurately reflects the quoted opinion. More neutral alternatives might include "strongly disliked" or "found unpleasant.
Bias by Omission
The article focuses primarily on the ODEUROPA project and its findings, potentially omitting other research or perspectives on historical olfactory culture. While acknowledging limitations of space, it's unclear whether other relevant research was considered and deliberately excluded or simply not included due to scope.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a somewhat simplistic view of the reception of the 'hell' scent, contrasting the European and Japanese responses. It doesn't explore the range of reactions within either culture or consider potential nuances beyond a simple 'attractive' or 'repugnant' dichotomy.