EWEW, THAT SMELL:

Could Saddam Hussein's Smell Lead U.S. to His Lair? (Bijal P. Trivedi, December 5, 2003, National Geographic)

A posse of body doubles has long blurred the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein. But while it is easy to mimic the dictator by donning a uniform and a mustache, finding a "smell double" is a much tougher act.

With this in mind, the research arm of the U.S. Defense Department wants to develop technology that can identify individuals on the basis of a so-called smell signature.

Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center believe that human sweat may contain a collection of chemicals that could serve as a unique chemical fingerprint, or "odortype."

One just assumes he smells like a scene from Equus.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 5, 2003 9:53 PM