Pheromones from the ancient Greek language are translated as "I bring excitement." For a long time it was believed that this term refers only to the field of zoology. However, it turned out that humans also emit chemosignals of a similar nature.
Biological markers in nature
Scientists guessed that there are biochemical signals for a long time, but only in 1961, Adolf Butenandt, who specialized in the chemistry of hormones, isolated a sexual attractant - bombicol from the glands of a female silkworm.
It was also found that the characteristic behavioral response in male silkworms occurs even at extremely low concentrations of this substance, in the range of 3000 molecules per ml of air.
Actually, this explains the incredible difficulty in identifying pheromones, but with the active introduction of chromatographic methods of gas analysis, the productivity of scientific research in this area has increased dramatically.
Promotional video:
What are chemosignals?
Further research showed that there are basically two types of pheromones - releasers and primers. Releasers are unique biological markers that are used by females, for example, exclusively to attract mating partners.
As for the primers, they are of a more complex nature. In particular, honey bees have fifteen known glands that produce compounds in complex combinations. By the way, the queen bee emits the so-called mandibular royal pheromone, which contains carboxylic acids and aromatic compounds. These chemosignals suppress the puberty of other female bees and even orient them to work. “In addition, there are other pheromones in nature that mark the path, for example in ants,” says biologist Mike Segal, “or activate alarms. In fact, it is a special language of biochemical communication that allows insects to live in complex colonies."
Human pheromone
For a long time it was believed that only animals secrete pheromones, and they are useless for humans. If only because the necessary communications are provided by communication. However, on November 18, 1986, The Washington Post published a sensation - "Scientists in Philadelphia first found that the human body produces pheromones, special aromatic chemical compounds that affect the sexual physiology of another person."
The very next day, the American national newspaper USA Today published an article "The Real Chemical Revolution Between the Sexes", in which Dr. Winnifred B. Cutler, answering a reporter's question, said: “The smells of men are of great importance for women's health. I recommend that women with unusually long or short menstrual periods go to the men's locker room and inhale the scent. According to the scientist, after three months, the average static cycle stabilized at 29.5 days. The fact is that the male axillary glands secrete at least one pheromone, which affects the reproductive health of women.
The smell of a woman
Scientists soon discovered that female pheromones had a more pronounced effect on male behavior. It was suggested that the so-called fluids are of biochemical nature.
It turns out that a woman, in a strong emotional state called love, is able to send unusually powerful chemosignals to the man she likes and at the same time suppress the desire of other competing friends.
“Human pheromones attract sexual partners just as they do in the animal kingdom,” said Dr. Winnifred B. Cutler. “These chemosignals are very effective in the relationship between the sexes. At the same time, new research shows that women also suffer from pheromones from other men and women who are negative towards them."
In addition, thanks to pheromones, one can even intuitively imagine what a partner looks like. It is believed that not without the influence of these publications in 1992, the film directed by Martin Brest "The Smell of a Woman" was released.
Pheromones in perfumery
Pheromones are identified by a vomeronasal organ in the nose, sometimes referred to as the Jacobs organ. Then the received chemosignal is processed by the brain, which determines the behavioral response of a person. This or something like this begins articles on these substances in perfumery.
“Having bought a perfume with pheromones, you can change your life in a matter of hours,” says Yolanda Petersen from Washington, “once I perfumed my wrists with them and instantly felt the keen interest of men in my person.” In reality, the so-called "sexual" spirits do not contain human pheromones, but androstenones obtained from pig glands are present in excess.
Moreover, studies show that human pheromones are captured by a partner at a distance of no more than one meter and "live" for about five hours, in rare cases - a day. That is why professional biologists with a certain degree of skepticism are about such perfumes, but biological sex markers of insects are successfully used to control pests in agriculture, if only because they have simpler formulas.