Pheromones

In the XIX century French naturalist Jean-Anry Fabre found that the female moth Saturnia pavonia can attract dozens of male moths in the room where she was. Fabre suggested that sends male female any chemical signals that a person can not catch, but check his assumption in those days no one could. Only in the late 50-ies of the XX century, a group of German scientists under the leadership of Adolf Butenandt succeeded in extracting the secret of the glands of female silkworm moths (Bombyx mori), parse it into its constituent components by chromatography and show that only one of the substances obtained by the male reacts the same way as the presence of females (flutter of wings). To get 6 grams of the substance, to 500 thousand butterflies.

In 1959, entomologists, Peter Karlson and Martin LUCHAIRE suggested calling pheromones (from the Greek phero - bear and hormao - stir) a substance that an animal of any kind released to the environment and which cause certain behavioral or neyroen-dokrinnye the reaction in other animals of the same species. The term caught on and became very popular not only in science but also in the popular press.

To understand what is pheromones can recall the hormones. Hormones - are chemical substances that seemed to connect in a whole entire body, providing rapid exchange of information between its parts. The same role is played by pheromones, but their task - to link individuals belonging to the same type of animals, couples, families and communities.

In animals, the power fe Romon very strong, because they are administered by the reaction to ensure the survival of the species. How good is the action of chemical signaling that controls on the conduct of the marriage of animals can be seen, observing the behavior of males, which is ready to rush to "warm scent of love", despite all attempts to keep his master. However, such is the obvious response to the rights of any scent could not be any of the experimenter.

Little about the nature of men

One of the most well-studied pheromones of mammals chennyh ing - androstenone, a metabolite of male sex hormone are stosterona. Androstenone soda rzhitsya in urine and saliva of wild boar (hogs), and ... in the urine and sweat of men. Androstenone in pigs raises insuperable desire to mate - female invitingly hog in the presence of hog fragrant androstenone and breathing in the smell of androstenone, flows out of the bottle. But the results of experiments on the effect of smell androstenone on women are much more modest: some Resear fellows were able to show that more women sit on the seat, spattered Andros capsulitis, or that they view photos of men sprayed with this substance, more favorably than the no-smelling photos but no sexual desire (at least in laboratory conditions) androstenone in women did not call.

And yet it accidental that the sweat (actually, a special time novidnost sweat glands, apokrinovye glands) and sebaceous same lezy human skin surface, making you abundantly different metabolites of testosterone, relatives of the Andes-rostenonu? And it accidental that the most active and apokrinovye sebaceous glands begin to work at the time of intercourse matured tion, when a man on the script, composed by nature, must begin to look for a partner, as well as during sexual arousal and emotions rise of racialism, or national? And how astonished dream that in the sweat of men Andros-tenola (a substance similar to androstenone) contained 50 times more than in the sweat of women?

What are the advantages of Skye female breasts?

Another group of pheromones mle kopitayuschih, which is also used to follow in some detail - pheromones maternal love. Here the most interesting experiments were carried out on rabbit.

Relationship rabbit with her cubs can be called the business - only 5-7 minutes a day she spends on feeding infants, and all the remaining time of the day throws them to their fate. To survive, the newborn has to be agile - to immediately understand where the food source, and time for the "distribution" before the stronger brothers and sisters will take all the best places. In this difficult matter rabbits help pheromones.

Researchers chose to understand the behavior of rabbits, have shown considerable ingenuity, planning experi ments. First, they proa lysed rabbit milk using gas chromatography. Then whole milk and its ingredients have been proposed for newborn rabbits sniffing. Felt the smell of milk, rabbits turn their heads and made attempts to grab sample mouth. And exactly the same reaction caused one of nizkomolekulyar number of spectral components of milk, a substance stvo 2-methylbut-2-Onal (2MV2). This substance and became a candidate for the role of the desired pheromone.

Most likely, similar pheromones contained in female skom milk - experiments show that infants react to the smell of milk and even able to recognize the smell of mother's breast. As researchers say, the smell coming from the nipples, the baby calms down, he creates a sense of security, stimulating affection. It is possible that the peripapillary region, where both are apokrinovye and sebaceous glands, and other pheromones, including those that govern sexual behavior. Perhaps this explains the strange male attraction to female breasts?

Kopuliny dement monkeys, but not human

Opening kopulinov, pheromones of vaginal secretions of females, became a sensation. First, they are not detected by moths or rabbits, and in rhesus monkeys, distant relatives of man.Secondly, the scientists succeeded in isolating kopuliny in pure form (they were some co-rotkotsepochechnye organic acids) and find out what similar substances are contained in the vaginal secretions of women. It was also shown that the mere smell kopulinov causes male macaques in indescribable excitement. Very soon there were first perfume containing kopuliny, which, of course, was attributed a magic power. Alas, the hopes for kopuliny, as in other human pheromones, not justified. All responses received WIDE in experiments on humans, were far from the explosion of passion, which is observed in macaques, and could explain the placebo effect. A double-blind, ISS ledovanie (the one in which neither eq sperimentator nor the subjects did not know if they use placebo or kopuliny) showed that kopuliny no effect on people.

Once seen

pheromones, the better, but it is not. If they act at a considerable distance from the body, it will create ca kofoniyu signals from which would be very difficult to extract any useful informa tion.Therefore, most likely, human pheromones - close to existing signals. Moreover, many pheromones may be non-volatile, heavy mo molecules, which are transmitted during kissing, oral sex, as well as long-term con rikosnoveniya tel. It is also possible that the attractive features of women's appearance (big breasts, round hips, long hair) play the role of lighthouses, which make men come closer, falling in the range of pheromones. The same role may be played and Fragrances: man sniffs, coming closer and falls "under fire".

Pheromones and sexual selection

Even Charles Darwin suggested that sexual selection - an important part of natural selection.Males have the brightest plumage, a very loud voice, the biggest antlers, etc., are "pre red lady", and hence the opportunity to continue their family line. The strength and beauty, producing an impression on the female, the satellites are key to good health and appearance of a viable offspring. We have already found a lot to kazatelstv that this seksua linen selection involved and Fe Romon. For example, if Fero-monny signal is weak, then the first call to love primchatsya most active and easy to lift males possessing sa mym acute sense of smell. With one of them a female come into sexual contact. Many animals living in communities with a strict hierarchy, pheromones of dominant males are able to suppress the reproductive activity of subordinate males, providing psycho logical castration of weaker rivals. On the other hand, and females (this phenomenon is proved for female cockroaches) tend to prefer the scent of a dominant male. In humans, the role of smell in sexual selection has not been studied, but it is possible that many phenomena can be explained in terms of the interaction of odors.

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