Date Time Researchers show how disgust evolved as an emotion Next time a refrigerator door opens to the smell of rotting uncooked chicken, consider the moment as an odorous encounter with the origin of disgust. That repulsion is linked to an evolved human emotion that helps avoid exposure to something sickening. In a project that blended anthropology, biology and psychology, a University of Oregon team explored disgust by studying how Ecuador’s indigenous Shuar people, living in communities with differing levels of market integration, respond to revolting things. The research was detailed in a paper published online Feb. 23 ahead of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.