The development of colour vision may have lead to Old World primates, and hence their human descendants, to lose their ability to detect pheromones, suggests a new genetic study.

Pheromones are highly specific scent molecules that many animals rely upon to find and assess a potential mate. But humans appear to make little, if any, use of pheromone signals, says Jianzhi George Zhang, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Researchers have suggested before that the primates' pheromonal abilities may have fallen by the wayside because they developed colour vision, a better way of selecting mates. "But we establish the timing for when the pheromone signal transduction pathway was shut off," Zhang told New Scientist .

It occurred about 23 million years ago, just before the hominoid superfamily that eventually produced humans branched off. Crucially, the timing approximately coincides with the development of full colour vision in Old World primates, thereby giving a major boost to the theory.


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Very interesting article Althalus. I think it is good that we evolved our sight to recognize color more. Can you imagine how the world would be today if we still relied on phermones to pick a mate? I think it would be chaos. Maybe one reason why we evolved in this way is because we are one of only a couple of species who actually have sex for pleasure and not just for mating purposes. That could explain why sight could become more important.

QUOTE

The development of colour vision may have lead to Old World primates, and hence their human descendants, to lose their ability to detect pheromones, suggests a new genetic study.

Not trying to be anti I just wanted to point out that this study is still in the realms of Theory .. Pheremones are used by other creatures for all sorts of reasons not just when chosing a mate . We couldn't have possibly lost our abillity to detect all pheremones . Perhaps some people still have the abillity to detect them or even it could be possible to re-learn this lost abillity .


I've got way to much time on my hands

I still believe that phermones play a large part in our lives.

QUOTE (starlyte @ Jun 18 2003, 11:41 AM)

Maybe one reason why we evolved in this way is because we are one of only a couple of species who actually have sex for pleasure...

Ain't it great?

I would like to know how picking a mate by scent alone will turn into chaos?

The scent of our mate is one of the biggest determination of our picking them. Although people will disagree and say it's their charm, humor or good looks. But deep down subconciously we're being subtly driven by the scents that their body is giving off.

It is true that in humans vision is more adept than the sense of smell. Living in a visual world tends to make that possible.


The sense of smell is limited to what we can percieve around us and not down the street. Sutble scents may atract us when they are near, such as a perfume, the smell of a shampoo or a body lotion. Even after all the cosmetic smells, there are scents given off by the body that the opposite sex can pick up on, although not conciously.

Well thats my two cents for now.

QUOTE (Bloated Corpse @ Jun 19 2003, 05:08 AM)

It is true that in humans vision is more adept than the sense of smell. Living in a visual world tends to make that possible.

I guess that explains 'Victoria's Secret' catalogs being so popular.

(it isn't exactly a guy's nose that's reacting to those photos)

@KC .. but don't they scent those ... ?

Actually, Kismit, I don't know since I shop at the store...
but I bet if they are, it's so the guys know where to find
the catalog.

Could someone post a link or reference on how pheromes play a larger role in our lives than we think?