EP 24 - Some Animals Use Pheromones to Find a Lover. Do Humans?

This week we are back in the Salon to talk about a special type of chemical that MIGHT help you find your Valentine, Pheromones! Which as you may have guessed, are linked to some debatable science. We are discussing some well known examples of animals who use pheromones, and then talking about why humans probably don't. Even if we don’t use our noses to find love, we are talking all about how our sense of smell influences our decision making.  Welcome to Beauty by the Beaker, the podcast where Sciences Gets a Hot New Makeover! We're two cosmetic chemists who want to reveal what really goes into your favorite products, and we aren't afraid to bust some myths while doing it. Whether you’re a skincare enthusiast, a curious consumer, or just tired of being told coconut oil cures everything, you’re in the right place. Let's gossip about all things beauty together! Pull up a chair, your appointment's about to start. Pheromones are very well studied  in the Silkworm, which does in fact grow up to become a silk moth.  https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/pheromones#:~:text=silkworm%20family%20moths%2C%20where%20males%20are%20noted,following%20a%20pheromone%20trail%20in%20the%20air.  Learn about The Whitaker Museum and the silk lady!  https://www.centervilleutah.gov/229/Whitaker-Museum Mealworm beetle https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022474X19304400 Obi L. Griffith, Ramin Vakili, Robert W. Currie, Désirée Vanderwel, The effect of mating on the sex pheromone system of the yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Journal of Stored Products Research, Volume 86, 2020, 101572, ISSN 0022-474X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2020.101572. We talk about how humans actually do use Pheromones, just not with their Jacobsons Organ. We use them to protect crops from pests. Research on pheromones started in the 1950s, and they were originally used by farmers to lure in insects and trap them. In the 1970s, they started using them as a way to prevent mating success, which decreased the population.  https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/ar/archive/1997/jan/science.pdf