Humans have around 400 olfactory receptors, many of which are individual – and thus decide whether someone finds an odor pleasant or repulsive. In a study, researchers Sijia Wang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Joel Mainland from the US Monell Chemical Senses Center investigated why this is so.
To do this, the team examined the perception of ten odors with major differences, reports orf.at. It was tested in two groups how pleasant or intense they smell: 1000 Chinese and 364 New Yorkers.
The researchers came across new receptors. One is responsible for the perception of a specific musk compound, the scientists write in the magazine “PLOS Genetics.” It is now the fifth known receptor for musky odors.
The second newly discovered receptor is probably important when choosing a partner because it recognizes one of about 120 components in human underarm perspiration. Genetic variations in the two receptors were also responsible for whether study participants found the different smells pleasant.
The researchers found no differences between the two population groups. But when they combined it with earlier data, they found that people who have older versions of individual receptor genes in their genome perceive smells more intensely. This supports the thesis that the sense of smell has become weaker and less differentiated over the course of evolution.
Source: Nachrichten
