KQED's Forum David George Haskell on 'How Flowers Made Our World'
Mar 26, 2026
David George Haskell, a biologist and bestselling author, explores how flowers reshaped life on Earth. He discusses grasses and human evolution, floral motherhood feeding species, scents and memory, bees’ perfume rituals, cultural meanings of roses, deceptive orchids, and how attention to plants can drive conservation.
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Perfume Makes Humans Chimeric With Flowers
- Perfume Shows How Humans Merge With Flower Signaling To Express Identity.
- David George Haskell notes perfumes blend human scent with floral molecules, making us 'chimeric' when we use floral aromas to communicate.
Flower Scents Enter Body And Memory
- Floral Aromas Directly Affect Our Brains And Bodies.
- Roses contain ~400 aromatic molecules; some dissolve into the nose and bloodstream, and scents trigger hindbrain emotional memories and calming effects like linden tea.
Bees Collect Perfume To Woo Mates
- Male Euglossine Bees Collect Flower Oils And Use Them In Courtship Displays.
- Male bees store aromatic oils from orchids in pouches and later waft them to females as a perfume-based love language, paralleling human scent practices.
