WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, JEREMIE63
Humans, like other animals, are able to discern the young from the old by smell alone, according to a study published yesterday (May 30) in PLoS ONE.
Body odor is thought to convey a number of social cues due to its complexity, including information that aids in selecting a suitable mate and recognizing kin. There is evidence that animals can differentiate age groups based on smell, and researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia wanted to test if the same were true in humans.
The researchers used pads sewn into the underarm area of T-shirts to collect body odor from male and female donors who wore them to sleep for 5 consecutive nights. After the donors, who constituted three age groups—young (20–30 years ...
