Thursday, December 10, 2009

Why King Kong Failed to Impress: Humans, Apes Use Odor-Detecting Receptors Differently

New research shows that humans and other primates use the same receptors for detecting odors related to sex in different ways. (Credit: iStockphoto/Larissa Lognay)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Dec. 9, 2009) — Humans have the same receptors for detecting odors related to sex as do other primates. But each species uses them in different ways, stemming from the way the genes for these receptors have evolved over time, according to Duke University researchers.

Varying sensitivity to these sex-steroid odors may play a role in mate selection -- and perhaps prevent cross-species couplings, the researchers speculate.

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