Circe - Scientific Interpretations

Scientific Interpretations

In botany the Circaea are plants belonging to the enchanter's nightshade genus. The name was given by botanists in the late 16th century in the belief that this was the herb used by Circe to charm Odysseus' companions.

Medical historians have speculated that the transformation to pigs was not intended literally but refers to anticholinergic intoxication. Symptoms include amnesia, hallucinations, and delusions. The description of "moly" fits the snowdrop, a flower of the region that contains galantamine, which is an anticholinesterase and can therefore counteract anticholinergics.

The "Circe effect", coined by the enzymologist William P. Jencks, refers to a scenario where an enzyme lures its substrate towards it through electrostatic forces exhibited by the enzyme molecule before transforming it into product. Where this takes place, the catalytic velocity (rate of reaction) of the enzyme may be significantly faster than that of others.

Linnaeus named a genus of the Venus clams (Veneridae) after Circe in 1778. Her name has also been given to 34 Circe, a large, dark main-belt asteroid first sighted in 1855.

There are also a variety of chess variants named Circe in which captured pieces are reborn on their starting positions. The rules for this were formulated in 1968.