Beyond Recognizing Odors, Single Neuron Controls Reactions in Worms

piggy submitted, created time 2 months 4 days (www.sciencedaily.com)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2008) — Babies will smile when they catch the scent of vanilla, but a whiff of rotting meat will send them into fits. From people to mice and flies to worms, animals of all kinds are born with likes and dislikes thanks to the evolutionary wisdom collected in their genes. But new research shows that some preferences are still surprisingly flexible at even the most basic level — that of the sensory neuron itself — and that our nervous system may be even more adaptable than we thought

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Study on strippers reveals evidence of human estrus.

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.ehbonline.org)

Unlike most mammals, which have an estrus cycle -- they go into heat, during which they give off detectable visual and chemical signs of fertility -- humans have a menstrual cycle. For many years, scientists had assumed that our little sniffers had lost the ability to pick up on anything more subtle than an overdose of Axe. However, a study performed on eighteen eager ecdysiasts found that they get about half again as much in tips while ovulating than they do during the leuteal phase, and twice as much as they do during menstruation

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: pheromones human sexuality sex menstruation estrus communication economics human behavior evolution human evolution scent women men fertility human reproduction