What Is The VNO? 
 
 
 
 
Click below to learn more about your VNO

Importance of the Vomeronasal Organ

Sixth Sense: The Vomeronasal Organ

Human Pheromones and the VNO

VNO in Human and Animal Systems

The Science of Human Pheromones

Perfumery and the Sixth Sense

 

 The VNO system (Vomeronasal Organ) is found in the mucous membrane which divides the nostrils.  The vomeronasal organ is very important to the life of mammals.   It mediates various life processes such as pregnancy prevention in mice to social communication in primates.  It can detect very small amounts of molecules and consists of a relatively small receptor in the nose which detects pheromones and relays the signal of sexual attraction to the hypothalamus,  the brain's control center for basic drives and emotions like
  • sex
  • hunger
  • fear and anger
  • body temperature
  • heart rate
This effect is responsive and instinctual, so we feel attracted and we have no idea why.

It was identified in humans more than one hundred years ago, but scientists assumed it was a vestigial or useless organ because of its small size compared to the larger size found in other animals such as pigs who rely primarily on their VNO for survival. 

However, in one study in 1958, histological examinations of the nasal septum revealed the presence of the vomeronasal cavities in approximately 70 percent of all adults.  Years later in 1991, microscopic examinations revealed the presence of VNO's in 100 percent of adults.

The existence of a VNO in human fetuses has been known for a long time but its usefulness in adults has been rarely reported mainly because of the fact that in the animal kingdom, higher level animals (primates, humans) have significantly reduced VNO's due to the evolution of more advanced means of communication.  There are many skeptics to the claim that humans indeed have a functional VNO because that it has diminished in size over a long period time, because we have become more reliant on visual and auditory cues in terms of mate selection.
 
 
 

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2001 Jennifer N Singleton
    Last Updated July 17, 2001

 
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