A Rose By Any Other Name

Would have no scent? A new study by the University of Virginia suggests that flowers are losing their smell. Guess who is to blame; that's right, people. Their research would explain the reported fact that some populations of bees are declining in parts of the world. Warning Science Content: It's basically like this, human activity has caused a lot of pollutants such as ozone. Microscopic scent molecules from flowers are attracted to and bond with pollutants easily, thus destroying the aroma. Flower scent is estimated to only have the ability to travel less than a quarter of the distance it did one hundred years ago. In my life, I have always shared a great concern for the environment. Global warming, polar ice melting, ozone layer depletion, and the destruction of the rain forests, are all serious environmental issues that we have heard about many times before. While not as dramatic, the world's flowers losing their scent seems to really strike a chord. If we are responsible for this, what will be the next unintended consequence of our human activities? Earth Day is next week and it's time to give a damn.

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