From: Karen Kalumuck (karenk@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Fri Feb 18 2000 - 11:49:47 PST
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 11:49:47 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <v01540b01630fdf97a24c@[192.174.2.182]> From: karenk@exploratorium.edu (Karen Kalumuck) Subject: Re: pinhole Smelly stuff that doesn't smell
Hi all --
The "asparagus urine odor" is not due to the ability or inability
of smelling a substance. It is metabolism related; I'll have to do a bit
of research to get the nitty-gritty details, to be sure, but I believe it
involves the presence or absence of the enzyme asparaginase in a person.
If you have it, your urine doesn't have that distinctive smell, and if you
don't have it, you get "asparagus - urine" (or vice-versa). This
phenomenon is not related to any disorder/medical condition, nor does it
appear to be related to any evolutionary advantage. It may just be one of
those things closely linked to another gene that did confer a survival
advantage. When I find out the details, I'll let you all know.
Do the experiment! Eat asparagus!
---Karen
>I was once told that the smell that I notice in my urine after eating
>asparagus was like this, I do not believe it but it might be true. Steve
>
>>A plea to the great pinhole minds!
>>
>>Some time back I witnessed a demonstration of a chemical which had the
>>unusual property that somepeople could smell it while others couldn't. To
>>those who could smell it, it was absolutely fowl. To the rest, like me, it
>>had no smell whatsover. I don't know anything else about this chemical
>>except that it exists in a right-handed and a left-handed molecular form,
>>and that it is in the "handedness" of the molecule that this syndrome takes
>>place. Does anyone know what I am talking about and where i can secure some
>>of it?
>>
>>Gary Horne
>>
>>Gary Horne
>>4481-A Appian Way
>>El Sobrante, CA 94803
>>510 222 4310
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________________
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>
>
>Steven Eiger, Ph.D.
>
>Departments of Biology and the WWAMI Medical Education Program
>Montana State University - Bozeman
>Bozeman, MT 59717-3460
>
>Voice: (406) 994-5672
>E-mail: eiger@montana.edu
>FAX: (406) 994-3190
>
>
>
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Karen E. Kalumuck, Ph.D.
Biologist
Exploratorium Teacher Institute
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-561-0313
karenk@exploratorium.edu
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