A Closer Look at Sex Scents

Salamanders and Remembering Scents

2005-11-11T23:10:00.000-05:00

Scents are one of the strongest memories a person has but up to now no one could understand exactly how these memories could last more than the sixty days. Every olfactory neuron in the epithelium survives for only 60 days after which it is replaced by a new cell. Generally, when neurons die there is nothing to take its place yet when olfactory neurons die new neurons take their place. These new olfactory neurons are produced by a layer of stem cells directly beneath the old olfactory neurons.

The question still exists though, if these neurons are dying how could we possibly keep that link in our minds which is related to smell? Now we finally know; “Memories survive because the axons of neurons that express the same receptor always go to the same place."

From here many researchers are trying to figure out what happens to the smells after they make their way to the olfactory hub or the olfactory corves. How are these smells processed there? Many researchers believe that this question can be answered with the aid of salamanders. This animal would be the easiest to dissect since its nasal cavity is a “flattened sac”. Salamanders would make it possible to analyze the entire olfactory system. Scientists believe that this recording will be a huge breakthrough and will once and fore all know exactly how those smells are remembered

What is Aromatherapy and Why is it Useless

2005-11-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

Aromatherapy is a term that was created by the French chemist Rene Maurice Gatterfosse in order to describe the process of using oils in healing. Opposed to popular belief though, the aromas of these oils are not used in the actual therapy. Rather, the chemical compositions of these oils are used. Vapors are also commonly used in this form of therapy.

While the logic seems completely apt, it seems as though suspicion is the only evidence for this practice to actually work. Many aromatherapists claim that the therapy slowly changes the body to perform better but opinion is all that they can back this up with. Overall, aromatherapy has absolutely no proof of being therapeutic aside from the assertions made by aromatherapists and testimonials given by customers of these treatments.

Pheromone Research Wins Eppendorf/Science Prize

2005-11-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

Dr. Pingxi Xu has won the 2005 International Prize in Neurobiology, sponsored by the journal Science and Eppendorf. He received the award for his study in how fruit flies use pheromones to influence the behavior of other fruit flies. His major contribution was the discovery of "odorant binding proteins", which appear to act as adaptors that link pheromone molecules to neurons. Fruit flies may use pheromones for more than just attracting a partner, in fact it seems that the males use pheromones to establish dominance over one another and influence other flies' behavior. Learning how to control the odorant binding proteins could mean manipulating the fruit flies' perception of various pheromones, and thus influencing their behavior as desired. In other words, we would be able to control insects’ behavior using harmless chemical sprays in minute quantities, as opposed to large amounts of toxic pesticides.

For his research, Dr. Xu has the chance to win the grand prize, which includes a $25,000 grant from Eppendorf to continue his research, and a chance to publish his work in the journal Science.

A Mouse's Nose is the Key to Mating

2005-11-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

Harvard Universtiy researches have made a surprise discovery that contradicts the general scientific consensus on the matter of how mice detect pheromones. The standing belief was that pheromones were detected by the vomeronasal organ, not by the nose, which detected all other oders. This finding helps explain how humans detect pheromones, which was a subject of debate because humans lack the vomeronasal organ system which was believed to be necessary for pheromone detection.

Biologist Catherine Dulac of Harvard and her team made their discovery using a flourescently-marked benine virus injected into the nervous systems of mice. The virus was used because it travels in the opposite direction of the neurons. The virus was injected into the "mating center" in the brain and tracked as it traveled backward through the nervous system. Dulac and her colleagues expected the virus to end up at the vomeronasal organ, but instead discovered that it wound up in the nose of the mouse. This means that the signals reaching the "mating center" of the brain originate in the nose, not the vomeronasal organ, suggesting that the nose is in fact responsible for pheromone detection.

This discovery directly contradicts the information published in most biology textbooks today. Dulac and her team believe that the nose is the primary organ in detecting pheromones, but that the vomeronasal organ is not completely useless. They believe it may have something to do with differentiating the gender of the pheromones.

Dying Beetles Make a Last-Ditch Effort to Reproduce

2005-11-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

Biologist Ben Sadd from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology recently made an interesting discovery about mealworm beetles along with his colleagues. Sadd discovered that when the male beetles' immune systems become so stressed that death seems likely, the beetles step up their production of pheromones. Apparently, the beetles are making a last-ditch effort at attracting a female partner for reproduction before it's too late for them.

Sadd made the discovery by conducting an experiment with 20 virgin male beetles. Each beetle was placed on a sheet of filter paper. The control group was left alone, while the experimental group was made "sick" when Sadd introduced a piece of nylon to their bodies. Sadd then took note of which sheets seemed to be more attractive to female beetles. Just as he expected, the females spent much more time on the filter papers from the dying beetles than those of the healthy beetles. This seems to support Sadd's hypothesis that dying beetles produce more sex pheromones than normal, healthy ones.

Cancer-Causing Pheromones

2005-11-03T20:58:00.000-05:00

Microbiologist Steve Winans of Cornell University has discovered cancerous bacteria that use pheromones to find their victims. The bacteria are found in soil and home in on pheromones released from plants' wounds. A wounded plant is more susceptible to infection, so naturally bacteria would be better off attacking a wounded plant. Unfortunately for several types of fruit plants and grape vines, one variety of bacteria has the ability to detect the pheromones released by a plant's wound. The particular bacteria, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, cause a type of cancer known as crown gall. Crown gall exacts a costly economic toll on fruit crops each year. As of now, there is no known way of controlling the crown gall infection, there are no pesticides or other chemicals known to combat the cancerous pathogens. Mr. Winans' recognition of the unique ability of the bacteria to detect pheromones is a big step towards finding a pesticide for crown gall. One possible remedy might be the introduction of a chemical that masks the pheromone released from the plants' wounds. This chemical could be sprayed on the plants like a pesticide and would greatly reduce the effectiveness of the bacteria.

Song Inducing Pheromones?

2005-11-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

Two researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently made an interesting discovery about the effect of female mouse pheromones on male mice. It seems that female pheromones stimulate the males to "burst into song". After exposing the male mice to the pheromones of females, the researchers made recordings of the mice and then dropped the pitch to a level audible to the human ear. The vocalizations of the mice sounded quite similar to bird songs, and are believed to be a response to the apparent presence of a potential mate. Since pheromones are linked to sex, the songs are most likely linked to sex as well. The next step for the researchers is to begin analyzing and comparing the songs of mice, to deteremine if the songs of wild mice and laboratory mice differ and so on. It has already been found that the songs of the 45 mice tested appear similar, yet each have their own distinctions, meaning the song may contain information about the mouse singing it. Further study is necessary before drawing any firm conclusions, but it does appear that the songs are indeed a response to female pheromones, and are intended to attract the interest of a potential mate.

Pheromones for Pest Control

2005-11-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

Scientists in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. have devised a plan to control the population of sea lamprey in the region's streams. The parasitic lamprey are negatively impacting the area's economy by killing commerically valuable species of fish. The current method of controlling the sea lamprey is through the use of a poison that also negatively impacts other species in the surrounding environment and is quite costly. But scientists believe they have found the lampreys' Achilles' heel. Each year, the lamprey follow pheromone trails from the opposite sex into the streams of the Great Lakes to mate. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) plans to use the pheromones they have successfully isolated to attract the lamprey to traps, and then sterilize the males.

Lamprey have some of the most potent pheromones researchers have ever encountered. Just 1 single gram of pheromone in 10 billion liters of water is detectably by lamprey. The GLFC scientists isolated the pheromone from 8,000 liters of water that contained 35,000 larvae. Less than 1 milligram was extracted from this sample.

Characteristic Scents

2005-10-28T10:25:00.000-04:00

Scents being used as a means for sexual attraction are not new findings which is why research by popular companies have been conducted excessively to find the perfect scents for their fragrances. Fragrances are created around a “note”, or a scent that stands out while around other scents. Companies have gone far enough to create characteristic type fragrances. For example, Enrique Iglesias uses the cologne, True Star Men by Tommy Hilfiger, because he is someone who is easygoing and relaxed. This is presented through his cologne as well. Other companies are also making fragrances to target their popular buyers. Estee Lauder's Aramis uses a certain scent which is described by Ray Matts as, “It had to be something that you don't have to worry about having too much or not enough on. ... It had to be cozy and comfortable.” Many of the scents also have a connection to aphrodisiacs. Spices are the top sources for aphrodisiacs which are the common ingredients for the perfect fragrances.

Sexual Orientation and Pheromones

2005-10-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

Pheromones have only been proven to be used by various animals; however, recent studies show they may also work in the sexual field for humans. If humans do respond to pheromones, two compounds most likely to cause the effect are a testosterone derivative called 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND), and the estrogen-like steroid estra-1,3-5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol (EST). Older studies from Ivanka Savic and colleagues show that the hypothalamus region of the brain is triggered when men smell EST and women smell AND. The recent study expands on the previous study showing that the compound triggering the hypothalamus region is not necessarily gender based. They’re studies shows it has to do with a person’s sexual orientation. The experiment was conducted by giving homosexual men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men the two compounds, EST and AND, as well as regular scents such as lavender. AND activated the hypothalamus region of the brain for homosexual men and heterosexual women, but not heterosexual men. The EST only activated the hypothalamus region for heterosexual men. All three groups experienced the same effect by the regular scents though. This proves the brain can differentiate between pheromones and regular scents. This also suggests that brain function is connected to sexual orientation.

Pheromone Technology

2005-10-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

In Chennai, India, a local firm demonstrates the growing use of pheromones. Tamil Nadu is now using the latest in “pheromone technology”. As a result, the pesticides feeding off the agriculture have gone down by ninety percent. A pheromone was used on a thousand acres of sugarcane fields to control the insects through the use of a mating disruption technique. They plan to commercialize the pheromone product on a very large scale. The pheromone is expected to sell fast because their experiment in the sugarcane fields showed fifteen percent more yield and ninety percent less pest infection. However, before it goes out to the market, it will also be experimented on other several crop fields such as tomato, cotton, cabbage. Currently seventy locations are being experimented on for further research and development. Hopefully, the experiments prove to be successful enough for mainstream production.

How Do Aphrodisiacs Work?

2005-10-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

Scents are supposed to stimulate the memory the most. So it comes as no surprise that scent can be an aphrodisiac. Scents can evoke desires however, only if the partner is willing. Dr. Alan R. Hirsch is the neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. He conducted a study to examine how different smells stimulated sexual arousal. Several scents were actually effective,

"He found that several scents were effective -- some more than others. The smell of cheese pizza, for instance, increased blood flow to the penis by 5 percent, buttered popcorn by 9 percent, and lavender and pumpkin pie each by 40 percent. For women, lavender and pumpkin pie also had a stimulating effect; however, the smell of Good & Plenty® (licorice) combined with the scent of cucumber created the greatest increase in blood flow to the vagina."

Human pheromones can also create sexual interest. The word "pheromone" comes from the Greek words pherein and hormone which means "excitement carrier." In the "wild", animals leave pheromones through urine or sweat that dictate sexual behavior and attract the opposite sex. These pheromones may also help animals identify each other and choose a mate with an immune system different enough from their own to guarantee healthy offspring. Animals have a specialized organ in their noses called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) that detects this odorless chemical.

Like animals, human pheromones can be found in human sweat. This was discovered by scientists at the Chemical Senses

A New Drug Bigger than Viagra

2005-10-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

Viagra has been on the market for a long time yet for some reason scientists have been able to make an aphrodisiac for females until now. BBC news posts that a new drug name PT141 is currently being researched at Concordia University, and at Palatin Technologies. This drug seems to be working great in test rats. This drug would come in the form of a nasal spray which would effectively be using a stronger type of pheromone which humans are already affected by. While this drug is at an early stage experts do believe it may be a huge breakthrough.

This drug in effect is a copy of a hormone in the nervous system called alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. This hormone is well known to play a critical role in sexual arousal. Jim Pfaus believes that it could be even bigger than Viagra. Since there is nothing on the market right now to help females with such problems this could truly monopolize the market. This new technology, if created safely and effectively could be out on the market in the next year.

Are Humans Like All the Other Animals?

2005-10-21T01:08:00.000-04:00

It is a well known fact that animals use Pheromones in order to communicate with each other in the wild yet do humans have this trait? While previously, there was no evidence that humans communicated in this way, scientists now believe that they have found a gene which is associated with communicating by way of pheromones in humans. In animals such as rodents, pheromones are the only way that they communicate emotions.

Neurogeneticists at Yale and Rockefeller Institute have been able to isolate a gene codenamed V1RL1. This gene is a pheromone receptor which can interpret pheromones when inhaled through the nose. Rodents as well as many other animals have this gene yet they are not limited to just this one. Mice have over 100 genes which are in the V1R family. Rodents such as mice rely extremely heavily on pheromones such as these to communicate. The V1RL1 gene was found on 11 out of 11 randomly chosen people. It is very strange that humans would only get one of the 100 pheromone genes.

For most mammals pheromones are interpreted by the vomeronasal organ. In humans, this organ appears as embryos with its nerve cells leading to the brain. Many experts believe that this organ stops working for humans directly before birth. While some experts are sure that humans communicate by way of pheromones others are extremely skeptical about this.

Human Use of Pheromones in the Wild

2005-10-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

At the University of Minnesota, scientists announced that they will be using a pheromone to control the sea lampreys in the Great Lakes. The sea lampreys have inhabited the Great Lakes for decades, slowing shorting the fish population. The sea lampreys swim from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes. They feed on the native fish such as trout and whitefish. The sea lampreys use their teeth to get into the fish and suck the bodily fluids out of them until they die. Before the idea to use this pheromone arose, sea lampreys were controlled by a poisonous substance called lampricide. The pheromone is believed to be more environmentally friendly and more efficient.

The pheromone being used to control the sea lampreys is made up of three components, two of which are completely new. The component known is called petromyzonol sulphate and the other two are petromyzonamine disulphate and petromyzosteral. Petromyzonamine disulphate, also known as PADS, is the most potent of the three components. The pheromone used is a migratory pheromone. It comes from lamprey larvae that attract adult lamprey. At a certain point in their life, lampreys are guided to suitable spawning streams by this pheromone. Knowing this, scientists plan to trap or lure the sea lampreys back towards the Atlantic Ocean. More can be found in this site.

Pheromnes... Attract and Kill?

2005-10-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

In Joe Schwarcz's book, The Fly in the Ointment, Schwarcz discusses the current link between pheromones and attraction. In general, pheromones are only used for attraction between mammals, more specifically humans. In this new article, the writers portray a new way to effectively use pheromones. In this scenario insects are attracted to a certain place which contains a trap by way of pheromones. This trap can also just test to see which insects are existent in a farm. Generally however, a different strategy is used with the help of pheromones.

When used for pest control the most effective strategy has been "mating disruption". How this works is that synthetic pheromones are placed in many places throughout the field and then the two different sexes can not find each other. From this they can not mate and the amount of offspring is greatly reduced. This strategy has proven to be very effective and over 20% of the grape growers in Germany and Switzerland use this strategy to get insect free wine.

Synthic Musks... Harming the enviornment?

2005-10-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

In Dr. Joe Schwarcz's book The Fly in the Ointment he mentions the great new invention of synthetic musks and how no longer do crude actions need to be committed upon animals. This is also a great help as the worlds supply of natural musk is running out. Unfortunately this musk may not be the answer. A new study which was conducted illustrates the fact that these new synthetic musks may be harming the environment and may to a certain degree be harming humans as well. The study determined that synthetic musk compounds extremely pollute the water and damage the environment.

Most studies were carried out in Europe yet the United States uses as much if not more of the synthetic musk which was tested. Japan for one has decided to ban the use of an extremely common musk in the United States, musk xylene. This musk can build up in fish and then be reused as food for humans. While all of this evidence has been found the fragrance industry refuses to believe any of it.

The Human Musk

2005-10-07T10:37:00.000-04:00

Dr. Joe Schwarcz explains “natural musk just happens to resemble chemicals that men produce and women find attractive.” Musk was in heavy demand due to its ability of sexual attraction. Musk deer came near to extinction because companies trying to mass market sexual attraction in their perfumes and colognes. It was no surprise when musk deer were no longer allowed to be killed for their musk that scientists were quick to find another scent similar to musk. Scientist found that musk closely resembled the odor given off by men.

In F. Bryant Furlow’s site, the odor given off by men is due to the pheromone by the apocrine glands. Apocrine glands appear in hands, cheeks, scalp, breast areolas, and wherever we possess body hair. These glands are only functional after puberty which makes sense because puberty is the time we start looking for mates. The hair allows the apocrine smells to spread, which is why “hairier men smell particularly pungent.” Most importantly, the apocrine glands excrete a specific odorous steroid found in the sexual behavior of other mammals which is called androsterone. Androsterone is similar to musk which is why men give off their own natural “musk”.

Mammals and Pheromones

2005-10-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute writes about the current link between pheromones and mammals. In this investigate article they write about the crucial link which people are still researching today. The first pheromone was isolated in 1956. It took twenty years for a group of German researchers to be able to isolate this pheromone. When even the smallest drop was applied to a female moth, it made the wings of a male moth flutter. This is scientific evidence that indeed pheromones are effective. Dr. Schwarcz seems to have taken a different stance on this matter. He personally believes that these pheromones are extremely ineffective. This report does agree with Dr. Schwarcz on one matter though; it believes that humans are the hardest of all mammals to work with. Both The Fly in the Ointment and this study believe that the pheremones would be most effective to females while they are ovulating.

The Institute writes about another experiment which was performed. Researches placed a sedated male hamster in a cage. They then put a normal hamster inside that same cage. The normal hamster ignored the first one. After this, the researchers tried another experiment. On the sedated hamster they placed some vaginal secretions from a female hamster. This time the effect was much different. The male hamster attempted to mate with the other one.

This article attempts to prove that pheromones are extremely effective, the only problem is with humans.

Sources: http://www.hhmi.org/senses/d230.html

Does Musk cause Sexual Attraction?

2005-10-06T17:44:00.000-04:00

In The Fly in the Ointment, Dr. Schwarcz brings up the controversy currently pertaining the musk deer and the scents which they release. Dr. Schwarcz says,

"Some people allege that musks have estrogenic effects or cause cell mutations or respiratory problems. Others maintain that musk used as aromatherapy enhances health and acts as an aphrodisiac. Take your pick - there is no significant evidence for any of these claims"

He personally feels that there is absolutely no proof of musk being ether helpful or harmful. The Social Issue Research Center on the other hand has a different say about this matter. The Research Center conducted a study and believes that using musks can improve the life of the typical middle-aged man. Musks and colognes can help with "tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion". This study, unlike The Fly in the Ointment brings out another aspect of the scent of musk. While in small doses musk can act like an aphrodisiac it is only effective when the person who is to be affected is within 18 inches. Even then, the person has other boundaries to overcome.

The Social Issue Research Center also writes that musk and the active ingredient of androstenol are effective on men. While true, the Research Center also states that if a women were to wear a perfume which had musk the effect would most likely be much greater on her than it would be on any male which she would encounter. The scent of musk is one thousand times more effective in females.

While Joe Schwarcz's story has a subtle underlying tone that he personally considers the entire musk business a fraud the Social Issue Research Center takes a slightly different approach. While they agree that indeed wearing musk does not really help with sexual attraction they do believe that it boosts confidence level which in itself may be enough for any person to go out and buy some musk cologne or perfume.

Sources:http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_attract.html

New Blog

2005-09-29T20:30:00.000-04:00

This blog was created by Vadim Chernyak, Alvin Marty and Brian Pumo