| Check out these interesting human pheromone experiments: | Researchers and scientists are convinced
that chemical signals which are invisible to our five normal senses influence
how we select a mate, and whether or not we can bond and stay with that
partner . Pheromones are even believed to be the reason why babies
show a preference for pieces of clothing worn by their mothers.
Over a long period of time, it appears that humans have seemed to lose the capacity to detect pheromones consciously. Researchers believe that our perception of pheromones is still there but on a subconscious level. Scientists at the Universities of Colorado and Utah found that pheromones are detected through the VNO (Vomeronasal Organ) in the nose. This was done by placing devices inside the nose to find out which cells were responsible for pheromone detection. Recently through experiments , scientists have uncovered a human pheromone receptor gene similar to the ones found in rodents. Mice, for example, have a higher reliance on pheromones than all mammals. For years, researchers have been testing just exactly how we respond to pheromones from member of the opposite sex as well as the same sex. One of the more famous studies took place in 1988 by Stern and McClintock of the University of Chicago. The two found that women's axillary (underarm) secretions contain two pheromones that affect ovulation and menstrual cycle of other women. It proved that we are indeed influenced by the signals given off in others sweat. And just how does that happen? We all have major histocompatibility genes (MHC) which give each individual a unique odor that can be detected. They help the body to recognize its own healthy cells and to identify invading pathogens and to reject foreign tissues. Experiments have been done on mice and their ability to detect MHC genes in mate selection. Mice preferred MHC genes unlike their own. Zoologist conducted a study on humans involving MHC found
in smelly
T-shirts that had been worn by men for two nights. The results
were amazing. Women seemed to prefer the shirts with MHC genes different
from their own, similar to the results of the mice experiments.
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2001 Jennifer
N Singleton