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  • From: Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Monkeywire <monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [monkeywire] Scent molecules help monkeys find mates
  • Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 09:10:37 -0700 (PDT)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_283496,00040001.htm

Scent molecules help monkeys find mates: Study
Asian News International
Washington, June 17

Mating in simians is determined by highly specific scent molecules called
pheromones,
which help in hunting a suitable partner, a new study has revealed.

However, human begins are not that lucky when it comes to pheromone signals.
According to
Jianzhi George Zhang, evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan,
colour vision
puts human pheromones out of business.

Although humans and apes still carry genes that create pheromone receptors in
the noses,
these genes have mutated to the point that they are merely pseudogenes and
are not
functional any more.

Using the genes of people and primates to crack this intriguing puzzle, Zhang
presented
his findings in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Female New World monkeys have full colour vision because females have two X
chromosomes
that harbour both red and green colour vision genes. But since males have
only one X
chromosome, it leads to New World males having only one copy of either the
red or green
gene, resulting in color-blindness.

A pheromone attaches to a water molecule, drifts about in the air currents
and finally
lands on the proper receptor in someone else's nose. The receiver can't
immediately be
sure about the sender and its origins, but sexual swelling helps everyone in
the troop to
precisely locate the signal, even at a significant distance.

Sexual swelling occurs in about 10 per cent of all primate species, but only
in the Old
World species of Africa and Asia, which is where humans probably originated,
as well.





  • [monkeywire] Scent molecules help monkeys find mates, Josh Greenman, 06/18/2003

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