News > Scientists have decoded the smell of Cleopatra’s perfume

Scientists have decoded the smell of Cleopatra’s perfume

02/04/2023 02:00 PM | Click to read full article

 As a child in the 1980s, I visited the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, England, to learn about the Scandinavian seafarers. The museum stank — and the stench was deliberate. Visitors to the attraction were — and still are — treated to the unsavoury odours of a Norse village: a cesspit, dead fish and woodsmoke. Today, scientists can decode past scents with much greater accuracy, using new and powerful biomolecular approaches to resurrect some particularly distinct ephemeral treasures. 

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