Males Organisms Prime Females for

Reproduction Through a Mysterious

"Essence
Could pheromones be at play in the phenomenon of attraction?
Sometimes women say interacting with their boyfriends or husbands is so frustrating, it takes
years off their life. A new study suggests they might be right. Researchers at Northwestern
University have found a mysterious biochemical concoction emanating from males, which
they call essence. It primes females for reproduction, they found. However, it does have one
unfortunate side effect. For the females, it also speeds up the aging process.
Ilya Ruvinsky was one researcher on this study. "The male signals trigger the female to 'go for
it' -- to put more effort into reproduction -- but then the body suffers," he said. Ruvinsky hails
from the department of molecular biosciences at the university. He clarified by saying, There
is a fine balance between reproduction and body maintenance, and this balance can be tipped
by the male. We now are starting to tease apart this complexity.
C. elegans, a kind of transparent round worm, was used in this study. Known as the
workhorse of biomedical research, this simple creature has a short lifespan and is easy to
manipulate. C. elegans is made up of only about 1,000 cells. The worm is a gateway to how
biological processes work within many other organisms, including humans.
C. elegans carries out many of the same biochemical processes as higher organisms.
Ruvinsky and colleague Erin Z. Aprison, discovered two different biochemical signals coming
from males that were affecting females. The researchers proved that female worms picks up
the signal, and that doing so changes their physiology. "One signal causes an earlier onset of
puberty in juvenile females, Ruvinsky said. The other slows down aging of the reproductive
system in mature females, keeping them fertile longer. Males didnt age females on purpose.
Instead, "The harmful effects appear to be collateral damage.
Researchers soon found that a males presence wasnt even necessary. Just a small amount of
these two pheromones was enough for physiological changes to occur in female worms.
Pheromones are defined as biochemicals an organism gives off to alter the behavior or
physiology of another of the same species. It can cause a number of different responses,
including leading the other to food, for bonding purposessuch as a mother to her baby, to
cause sexual arousal, or to serve as a warning, stay away. With the male pheromones, the
Northwestern team discovered, even with sterile females (those without eggs), physiological
changes occurred as a result.
Human male pheromones are thought to originate from the armpit. Image by David
Shankbone - David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0
Ruvinsky said that their studys findings were similar to previous research done with mice.
"In mammals, males also produce signals that manipulate the timing of sexual maturation of

females, he said. This raises an intriguing possibility that a basic mechanism controlling the
rate of sexual development is similar in all animals. Because of this universality, our findings
may have implications for humans."
There is some evidence to suggest that pheromones are at work among our species. The
McClintock Effect is one example. This is when women who live in close proximity find that
their menstrual cycles sync up. Head researcher Martha McClintock at the University of
Chicago, proved that smelling another womans sweat either sped up or slowed down a
participants menstrual cycle, in order to synchronize with the woman whose sweat it was.
Another place pheromones may be at play, is when a woman comes into contact with a mans
natural musk.
A study out of the University of California, found that those women at the most fertile part of
their cycle, found men who had higher testosterone levels, more attractive. Researchers
concluded that inhaling a musky biochemical called androstadienonefrom a mans sweaty
armpit, improved a womans mood, heightened her sexual arousal, increased her blood
pressure, breathing, and heartrate, and even ramped up production of the stress hormone,
cortisol, in her system.

In another experiment, by researchers at the University of Northumbria, women were told to

rate the attractiveness of a series of men in photos. Participants were split into two groups.
One group had a cloth soaked in male sweat nearby where they sat, unbeknownst to them.
The other group did not. The group exposed to the pheromones were found to give the men in
the photos higher ratings of attractiveness across the board.
Those women on the birth control pill however, did not. They were unaffected. Scientists
concluded that we may seek out a partner, at least partially, from their smell. Being one of the
oldest and most developed of the senses, it may tell us whether the persons biochemistry is
different enough, and if their immune system is strong enough, to result in healthy offspring.
So is androstenone the essence for our species?
Experts say that the evidence that pheromones operate in mammals and even humans, is
weak. Far more research is required to prove its existence and what mechanisms are at play.
Future studies will parse this out. But if this phenomenon is proven to occur in our species,
understanding the mechanisms behind it may help us develop new therapies, which could
prolong fertility, postpone puberty, and even perhaps slow down the aging process itself.
To learn more about human pheromones click here: