Today, perhaps, you will not meet a person who does not know what pheromones are. Perfume with pheromones, the “scent of seduction” and the smell of love are widely used terms by marketers and advertisers. The olfactory system, which is responsible for recognizing volatile chemosignals associated with sexual and maternal instincts, controls neuroendocrine and behavioral responses, called vomeronasal. And the main receptor department of this system is the vomeronasal organ. Responsible for the interaction of organisms of one species, it was recently discovered in humans and its crucial role in the formation of behavioral reflexes has been proved.
Roman with pheromones
It all started in 1870, when the French biologist Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (1823-1915) briefly left a butterfly in the laboratory. Returning to the laboratory, he saw that several male butterflies had gathered at the window. And no matter what room he carried the female into, the males inextricably followed her. So in biology, the concept of “attractants” appeared - the substances that a female secrete to attract males. Only by 1959, having accumulated enough knowledge about volatile substances and their role in reproductive behavior, an entomologist from Switzerland Martin Luscher (1917-1979) introduced the concept of “pheromones” (pheromone), as a term formed from the merger of the Greek words “transfer” and “ stimulate. "
Pheromones of plants and animals
Modern biology under this concept refers to a group of volatile chemical compounds that secrete plants and animals to provide communication, signaling and sexual stimulation. Pheromones carry not only sexual significance, although it is this part of their action that is most mysterious and interesting. By their significance, they can be territorial (animals mark the territory), guides (ants point the way to their cousins), repellent (plants emit signaling substances when pests attack) and many others. The first pure pheromone was isolated in 1956 and was a powerful attractant to silkworm butterflies - it made males beat with wings in the “fluttering dance” in the most minimal doses. It is believed that if one female butterfly isolates immediately the entire stock of this pheromone, she can attract a trillion males. Since there are pheromones, there must be a system for their perception.
The evolution of vomeronasal smell
For the first time, the vomeronasal organ appears in amphibians; in animals, a separate nerve and bulb, cartilage, blood vessels, and glands already enter this system. In embryogenesis, all groups have this organ: from amphibians to humans. In mature individuals, its development is different: from actively working (amphibians, snakes, cats, dogs) to reduced and complete absence (whales, dolphins, bats).
Jacobson's organ
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 islands, different from the olfactory and gustatory ones, will later be called the vomeronasal organ. Jacobson's organ has been described in insects, snakes, rodents, and domestic animals. Sniffing, cats sometimes open their mouths, as if grimacing. It is believed that this increases the flow of air into the vomeronasal organ in cats. But snakes increase the perception of pheromones by translational movements of the tongue. Therefore, when the 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 a person has these islands of sensitive cells only in the embryonic state, and then they disappear. In 1703, the military surgeon Frederick Ruysch (1638-1731) described unusual pits in a soldier with a wounded nose. And in 1891, the French doctor Potikier (1841-1903) already discovered a vomeronasal organ in 25% of the 200 patients examined. Numerous experiments and histological studies were divided by biologists. And today, in the scientific community, there are disagreements about the vomeronasal organ and its role in people's lives: from the complete denial of even its existence in adults to its critical maximum value.
Sensitive Islets of Jacobson
The vomeronasal organ is narrow sacs several millimeters long, lined with sensitive epithelium. They are located on both sides of the nasal septum (the bone at the intersection of the nasal septum and the palate is called 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 with a tube 2 to 10 millimeters in length. The size of this organ is very different in all people and can vary throughout life. It is present 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 in the hypothalamus.
Special scent
What is the difference between the vomeronasal organ and the sense of smell? Perception of odors is carried out in the epithelial cells of the sinuses of the nose, where the chemical stimulus is converted into electrical and transmitted through the nerve cells to the cerebral cortex. Here the signal and its tonality are analyzed, recognition and image formation. The ends 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 cannot be described and act exclusively on a subconscious level.
System "mother - child"
The role of vomeronasal olfaction in the relationship between the mother and her cub has been proven in animal experiments. Mammal cubs secrete 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 dysfunctions and homosexual preferences in people can form malfunctions in the level of sex hormones during pregnancy of the mother. This area of ​​work of the vomeronasal olfactory system is still little studied and holds many discoveries.
Vomeronasal organ and partner choice
Exposure through the subconscious explains the impossibility of controlling jealousy, attraction, torment of unrequited love and passion. Human skin, and especially nasolabial folds and axillary hollows, is a whole factory of pheromones. They are almost odorless, but it is they who, through vomeronasal perception, determine the sexual attractiveness of the partner and decide who is nice to us and who is not at all. It is the sex pheromones that 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 today there is real evidence about their role in the formation of sexual behavior. Pheromones have been discovered that form sexual hostility to close relatives and prevent incest. Pheromones that the mother’s nipple produces are detected, and the child knows exactly where the milk is and whether it is his mother. There are pheromones that soothe, lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate.
Life synchronization
It has been experimentally proven that when living in the same area or when working in a limited space of several women, they have a synchronization of menstrual cycles (Prof. Martha McClintock, University of Chicago, 1970). The control of 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 menstruation in women is reduced and, in the end, the cycles come to synchronism. The same results show and experiments on animals.
The formula of sexuality
Another experiment was conducted by Czech scientists led by Jan Galvichek. For a month, women were forbidden to use deodorants, and under their arms they wore pads. It was proposed to test these pads for men, choosing the most attractive ones from them. According to the results, the smell of women who were at the stage of entry into ovulation, that is, were in a state of readiness for conception, was most popular. Which once again demonstrates the wisdom of nature in organizing life on earth.
"The aroma of passion"
Scientists do not stop looking for that secret component that will pave the way to the heart of a partner and will be able to maintain a romantic relationship. Perfumery products with pheromones will not surprise anyone. Many firms 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 effectiveness of synthetic pheromones, but the facts speak for themselves.
Means for romance
The action of synthetic hormones was clearly demonstrated by the experiment of psychology professor Norma McCoy of the University of San Francisco. To test a tool that will make life more romantic, 30 women were invited at the age from 19 to 48 years. Daily test and control (used a placebo) group was added to their perfume drop by drop of the obtained substance. After three menstrual cycles, the result was summed up. In 74% of the participants who used synthetic pheromones, sexual activity increased, and in the control group this indicator was 24%.
Nevertheless, synthetic pheromones are just a temporary veil, under which our essence is hidden. And even in experiments with animals, sexual behavior arose not only on the spraying of pheromones, but also on the presence of individuals of the opposite sex. In addition, the “sixth sense” is because the sixth is because we rely not only on him, but on the other five senses when choosing a partner. To look for a partner using synthetic pheromones or to rely on the existing reality - you choose.