Today, perhaps, you will not meet a man whodoes not know what pheromones are. Perfume with pheromones, “aroma of temptation” and the smell of love are widely used terms by marketers and advertisers. The olfactory system, which is responsible for recognizing the volatile chemosignals associated with sexual and maternal instincts, controls the neuroendocrine and behavioral responses, called vomeronasal. And the main receptor part of this system is the vomeronasal organ. Responsible for the interaction of organisms of the same species, it was recently found in humans and proved its decisive role in the formation of behavioral reflexes.
Pheromone Romance
Все началось в 1870 году, когда французский biologist Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (1823-1915) briefly left a butterfly in the laboratory. Returning to the laboratory, he saw that there were several male butterflies gathered by the window. And in whatever room he could not carry the female, the males all the time followed her. Thus, in biology, the notion of "attractants" appeared - substances that a female individual emits to attract males. Only by 1959, having accumulated enough knowledge about volatile substances and their role in reproductive behavior, did Swiss entomologist Martin Lüscher (1917-1979) introduce the concept of "pheromones" (pheromone), as a term derived from the fusion of the Greek words "carry" and to stimulate. "
Pheromones of plants and animals
Modern biology understands this concepta group of volatile chemical compounds that secrete plants and animals for communication, signaling and sexual stimulation. Pheromones carry not only sexual meaning, although it is this part of their action that is most mysterious and interesting. By their value, they can be territorial (animals mark the territory), guides (ants point the way to their brethren), scaring off (plants emit signal substances when attacking pests) and many others. The first pure pheromone was isolated in 1956 and was a powerful attractant of the silkworm butterfly - it made the males beat with wings in a “fluttering dance” in the most minimal doses. It is believed that if one female butterfly allocates the entire stock of this pheromone at once, it can attract a trillion males. Once there are pheromones, there must be a system for their perception.
Evolution of the vomeronasal sense of smell
For the first time, the vomeronasal organ appears inamphibians, animals in this system already includes a separate nerve and bulb, cartilage, blood vessels and glands. In embryogenesis, this organ exists in all groups: from amphibians to humans. In mature individuals, its development is different: from actively working (amphibians, snakes, cats, dogs) to a reduced and complete absence (whales, dolphins, bats).
Jacobson Organ
Another two centuries ago, the Dane Ludwig Jacobson(1783-1843) described a group of cells located in the bones of the skull between the nose and mouth. These receptor islets, other than olfactory and gustatory, will later be called the vomeronasal organ. Jacobson's organ has been described in insects, snakes, rodents, domestic animals. Sniffing, cats sometimes open their mouths, as if they are grimacing. It is believed that this increases the flow of air into the vomeronasal organ in cats. But snakes increase the perception of pheromones translational movements of the language. Therefore, when a snake makes such movements - it does not try to scare you, it sniffs you.
Human vomeronasal organ
For a long time, it was believed that humans have these isletssensitive cells are only in the embryonic state, and then they disappear. In 1703, a military surgeon Frederick Ruysch (1638-1731) described unusual pits on a soldier with a wound to the nose area. And in 1891, the French doctor Poticier (1841-1903) already found the vomeronasal organ in 25% of the 200 patients examined. Numerous experiments and histological studies have divided biologists. And today in the scientific community there are disagreements about the vomeronasal organ and its role in the life of people: from complete denial even of its existence in adults to its critical maximum value.
The sensitive islands of Jacobson
The vomeronasal organ is narrow sacs, longa few millimeters lined by sensitive epithelium. They are located on both sides of the nasal septum (the bone at the intersection of the nasal septum and the sky is called the vomer), very far from the olfactory zone. In humans, the vomeronasal organ of smell is represented by a small (up to 1 mm in diameter) fossa, which extends from a tube between 2 and 10 millimeters long. The size of this body is very different for all people and may change during life. Available in all races and in both sexes. The histology of the vomeronasal organ is composed of receptor epithelium with sensory neurons, the axons of which end in the amygdala, a special area of the brain within the hypothalamus.
Special scent
What is the difference between the vomeronasal organ andsmell? Odor perception occurs in the epithelial cells of the sinuses, where the chemical stimulus is transformed into an electrical one and is transmitted through the nerve cells to the cortex of the big hemispheres. There is an analysis of the signal and its tone, recognition and image formation. The endings of the vomeronasal neurons are located in the amygdala, a zone that is responsible for mood and emotions and does not affect the cerebral cortex. That is why these attractants or pheromones are beyond description and act exclusively on a subconscious level.
System "mother - child"
The role of vomeronasal sense of smell inthe relationship between mother and her cub is proven in animal experiments. Young mammals emit specific pheromones that stimulate the manifestation of maternal instincts in the female. Removal of the vomeronasal organ in females leads to a sharp inhibition of maternal behavior. There is a theory that sexual disorders and homosexual addictions in people can form disruptions in the level of sex hormones during pregnancy. This area of work of the vomeronasal olfactory system is still poorly understood and harbors many discoveries.
Vomeronasal organ and partner selection
Воздействие через подсознание объясняет the inability to control jealousy, desire, torments of unrequited love and passion. Human skin, especially nasolabial folds and underarms, is a whole factory of pheromones. They are almost odorless, but it is they who, through vomeronasal perception, determine the sexual attractiveness of a partner and decide who is nice to us and who is not at all. Sex pheromones are responsible for love at first sight, or rather, from the first smell. The study of the effects of pheromones on humans began in the 1990s, but already today there is real evidence of their role in shaping sexual behavior. Pheromones have been found that form sexual hostility towards close relatives and prevent incest. The pheromones that the mother’s nipple produces are identified, and the child knows exactly where the milk is and whether it is its mother. There are pheromones that soothe, reduce blood pressure and reduce heartbeat.
Synchronization of life
Экспериментально доказано, при проживании на one area or when working in the confined space of several women, they synchronize their menstrual cycles (Prof. Martha McClintock, University of Chicago, 1970). Control over the cycle is carried out with the help of several hormones, which serve as a signal for the production of different pheromones. Gradually, the difference in the date of the onset of menstruation in women is reduced and, in the end, the cycles come to synchronicity. The same results show experiments on animals.
Formula sexuality
Another experiment conducted by Czech scientists inled by Jan Galvichek. For a month, women were forbidden to use deodorizing agents, and under their arms they wore pads. These pads were proposed to test men, choosing the most attractive ones. According to the results, the most popular was the smell of women who were in the stage of entry into ovulation, that is, were in a state of readiness for conception. Which once again demonstrates the wisdom of nature in the organization of life on earth.
"Flavor of passion"
Scientists do not stop looking for that secretcomponent that will pave the way to the heart of a partner and be able to maintain a romantic relationship. Nobody will surprise anyone with perfume products with pheromones. Many companies and corporations declare their products as containing pheromones and possessing the properties of attracting persons of the opposite sex. The secret of production and the composition of perfumes are kept in the strictest confidence. And you can not believe in the efficacy of synthetic pheromones, but the facts speak for themselves.
Remedy for romance
The action of synthetic hormones clearlydemonstrated the experiment of psychology professor Norma McCoy from San Francisco University. To try a tool that will make life more romantic, offered 30 representatives of the fair sex at the age of 19 to 48 years. Daily test and control (used placebo) group was added to their spirits a drop of the resulting substance. After three menstrual cycles summed up the result. In 74% of participants who used synthetic pheromones, sexual activity increased, and in the control group this figure was 24%.
И все-таки синтетические феромоны это всего лишь temporary veil under which our essence is hidden. And even in experiments with animals, sexual behavior arose not only on the dispersion of pheromones, but also on the presence of individuals of the opposite sex. In addition, the “sixth sense” is also the sixth, because we rely when choosing a partner not only for him, but also for the other five of our senses. Search for a partner with the help of synthetic pheromones or rely on the existing reality - you choose.
