This blog is devoted to BIOL 6988, a graduate level seminar in the biological sciences at Youngstown State University. While targeted towards graduate students, BIOL 6988 actively incorporates undergraduate participants in their scholastic endeavors in the biological sciences. This blog is intended as a educational tool not just for YSU students and faculty, but for anyone who wishes to contribute to an active-learning environment.
Hi, I know no one has posted the formal response to Dr. Renne's presentation from Friday, but I just wanted to throw a comment up, since it is Wednesday. First of all, I think Dr. Renne did a fantastic job presenting. He has a ton of different projects going and is constantly looking into different things.
As I was listening to his presentation, I keep thinking about a TED Talk (if you have never seen any of these before, I definitely suggest looking them up, they're awesome) I watched awhile ago and they had mentioned networking with fungi. The mycorrhizal association between our native plants and fungi, Dr. Renne explained briefly, is being affected by certain invasive species, like the garlic mustard. These interactions are important because the plants provide fungi with food in the form of carbohydrates and in exchange, the fungi help the plants suck up water, and provide nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, via their mycelia. Anyways, my thoughts, is their a way to help the fungi fight these "invasive" species, thus helping the native plant beat their competition? Maybe this could be a solution to the problem? Again, this isn't the formal question for Dr. Renne's presentation, just my thoughts.
I apologize for my late post, the weeks are flying by so fast and I did not realize it was my turn already. Dr. Renne delivered a very interesting and different presentation to the norm, it was very informing and enlightening. For many of us it was our first exposure to more complex ecological systems, and so Dr. Renne tried to simplify his presentation for everyone to understand. However, the long list of terminology he tried to teach us was hard for everyone to comprehend and presented some problems. I was able to grasp that the goal for all species is to successfully produce fertile offspring, producing more offspring that survives to maturity means the species is more competitive and can dominate a niche. Plants compete with another in several ways for sunlight, fertile soil and water. Plants compete through producing chemicals that will inhibit the growth of other specific species, this was termed "Biochemical Warfare" by Dr. renne. I also the biggest driving force in nature is competition. Delayed germination in seeds demonstrates an Eavesdropping effect from seeds, seeds are able to sense their environment; is there enough sunlight, water and is the temperature adequate for germination. In addition to this seeds are also able to sense competitors because of phytochemicals being emitted by germinated plants. Seeds being able to sense all these factors and being able to delay germination till a period when it is optimal for it's success was an extremely impressive statistic I was unaware of. Intra-sepcies competition is the strongest, humans give off similar chemical called pheromones. Hence my question is what roles do pheromones play in our lives? Due to our evolution do pheromones still produce a sexual advantage in our lives(or is it like the appendix; no longer necessary)?
There have been some studies done that suggested exposure to body can elicit response in other humans. There has been the notion that women who recide together for a while end up having their menstrual cycles syncing. There has also been studies done that showed that the scent of ovulating women could cause testosteron levels in men to increase. Despite these findings, there is no consistent evidence of any human pheromone nowadays.
“Nursing at the breast exposes the infant to maternal pheromones from apocrine and sebaceous glands in the underarms and in the dark tissue around the nipples” (Kohl & Francoeur, 1995, p.79). These glands have secretions which make up a person’s body scent when mixed with bacteria living on the skin. “After birth, bacteria on the infant’s skin convert the adrenal androgens from the sebaceous and apocrine secretions into the characteristic body odor of newborns” (Kohl & Francoeur, 1995, p.142). Also, during pregnancy, these glands ensure that the infant fully develops.
Pheromones are secreted chemicals that influences social response or behavior in members of the same species. In mammals it’s believed pheromones are emitted through the Vomeronasal Organ located in the nasal cavity and channeled to the brain.
There are four types of pheromones that influences behavior in mammals including man. This include:- Releaser pheromones which elicit an immediate response, rapid and reliable and usually linked to sexual attraction. Primer pheromones is another example of pheromones that is thought to influence the development of reproduction and reproductive behaviors which may include menstrual cycles and gestation in females. The success or failure of pregnancy is also thought to influence by the primer pheromones.
The third pheromone form is the modulator pheromone, so called because they modulate bodily functions. They can either alter or synchronize bodily functions. Typically they are thought to be released by animals to govern their own moods and actions. Their evidence has usually been found in sweat. Finally we have Signaler pheromones which provide information. They can help the mother bond with and recognize her newborn by scent. Out our genetic odor print is also thought to have it basis on this.
Immunology is one of the areas where I have read that pheromones might still be affecting humans. To quickly summarize the immune system, it is a collection of specific cells and proteins divided into two major groups that can function independently and interdependently to protect the body from pathogens. Some of the most important of these proteins are coded by the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes which are present on most cells and allow the immune system to designate “self” from “non-self”. It is thought that humans are attracted to others who have significantly different MHC genes because of the increased diversity in the potential offspring’s MHC genes. The point being that a combination of the two parent MHC genes could lead to a more immunocompetent child. The link at the end of my post leads to a paper that briefly discusses an experiment where this was tested. Briefly, men wore shirts for a few days without deodorant or other scents and then the shirts were presented to women who either had similar MHC genes or significantly different MHC genes. The study showed that the women preferred the smell of the men with the significantly different MHC genes. It is thought that this is the work of pheromones in human body odor that subconsciously affect our preferences in mates. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123211000397
The scientific studies for human pheromones are still in early stages. An interesting study that was done by Martha McClintock and Kathleen Stern showed that fluids taken from a female donor’s underarms when placed on another female’s upper lip could hasten or delay her menstrual period. However, a definitive pheromone has not been isolated as responsible for this occurrence. Overall, there is just a lack of knowledge on the subject of pheromones in humans. Because humans have higher-level intelligence than other animals, pheromones may not play a huge role in sexual advantage. As humans, we understand reproduction and probably don’t require pheromones for sexual instincts or desires as we may have needed way in the past. If in animals which pheromones are important for reproductive instinct suddenly lacked those pheromones, would they still reproduce? I think intelligence is a major factor for the use of pheromones. It is just difficult to say considering research still has to better define the area of “sexual-attractant” pheromones.
It is thought that the pheromones change based on menstrual cycles such a Ludmila said so I wanted to expand on this. Online I found multiple case studies and articles relating the point in menstrual cycle to physical attraction felt by the males around females. It was generally found that men are more attracted to women who are most fertile, or just before ovulation. It is believed that this is related to the hormones emitted during the ovulation period during the menstrual cycle. If this is true pheromones are most certainly playing a role in Human lives and drive for success. Similar to the plants, male humans are in a way sensing if it is "feasible" to fertilize the "seed" by detecting hormones present during ovulation.
Dr. Renne's lecture was extremely fascinating. I am curious as to what effect removing garlic mustard has had on other plant species in the Poland Village Forest. I would be willing to assist anyone who is curious in determining that as well. An interesting finding that I have discovered about pheromones is those released by females to be sensed by males. Studies have revealed that males are more attracted to the odor of females that are more genetically compatible to them and repulsed by the odor of females that are a poor genetic match. It appears that this is advantageous by assisting males in choosing a female mate that would better compliment them genetically, therefore increasing the fitness of their offspring.
Gustav Jäger (1832-1917), is a first scientist comes up with the idea of human pheromones. He said that they were lipophilic compounds that related with skin and follicles which mark the signature of human odors. Scientists were able to demonstrate that body odor can show responses in other human. According to research that was done in rodent, human sweat and secretions can affect reproductive readiness of other humans. I think pheromones plays very important role in reproduction of human. And I can suggest a very old movie about this topic if you haven’t watched it. The name of the movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
I am sorry for the late post, I typed and submitted everything through the phone earlier, but somehow it got deleted. Studies of pheromones is quiet a new field. Pheromones are chemicals that provide information by emitting signals to the opposite sex. They seem to play an important role in attraction between opposite sexes. Fo0r example, one study suggested that we may even pick our soul mate by subconsciously reacting to pheromones that transmit their genetic compatibility. Which I never knew of. Pheromones are subconsciously detected by nose, brain and nervous system. One of the pheromones present in human body is androsterone.Men primarily release androsterone through their skin and hair, and it is also present in sweat under the armpits of both sexes. It was also revealed that pheromones are used in perfume industry, which kind of makes sense, because each one of us always trying to smell nice, not only for yourself but also to attract opposite sex. I think pheromones play an important part in choosing a partner, and in a degree of attractiveness
Hi, I know no one has posted the formal response to Dr. Renne's presentation from Friday, but I just wanted to throw a comment up, since it is Wednesday. First of all, I think Dr. Renne did a fantastic job presenting. He has a ton of different projects going and is constantly looking into different things.
ReplyDeleteAs I was listening to his presentation, I keep thinking about a TED Talk (if you have never seen any of these before, I definitely suggest looking them up, they're awesome) I watched awhile ago and they had mentioned networking with fungi. The mycorrhizal association between our native plants and fungi, Dr. Renne explained briefly, is being affected by certain invasive species, like the garlic mustard. These interactions are important because the plants provide fungi with food in the form of carbohydrates and in exchange, the fungi help the plants suck up water, and provide nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, via their mycelia.
Anyways, my thoughts, is their a way to help the fungi fight these "invasive" species, thus helping the native plant beat their competition? Maybe this could be a solution to the problem?
Again, this isn't the formal question for Dr. Renne's presentation, just my thoughts.
TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for my late post, the weeks are flying by so fast and I did not realize it was my turn already. Dr. Renne delivered a very interesting and different presentation to the norm, it was very informing and enlightening. For many of us it was our first exposure to more complex ecological systems, and so Dr. Renne tried to simplify his presentation for everyone to understand. However, the long list of terminology he tried to teach us was hard for everyone to comprehend and presented some problems.
ReplyDeleteI was able to grasp that the goal for all species is to successfully produce fertile offspring, producing more offspring that survives to maturity means the species is more competitive and can dominate a niche. Plants compete with another in several ways for sunlight, fertile soil and water. Plants compete through producing chemicals that will inhibit the growth of other specific species, this was termed "Biochemical Warfare" by Dr. renne.
I also the biggest driving force in nature is competition. Delayed germination in seeds demonstrates an Eavesdropping effect from seeds, seeds are able to sense their environment; is there enough sunlight, water and is the temperature adequate for germination. In addition to this seeds are also able to sense competitors because of phytochemicals being emitted by germinated plants. Seeds being able to sense all these factors and being able to delay germination till a period when it is optimal for it's success was an extremely impressive statistic I was unaware of.
Intra-sepcies competition is the strongest, humans give off similar chemical called pheromones. Hence my question is what roles do pheromones play in our lives? Due to our evolution do pheromones still produce a sexual advantage in our lives(or is it like the appendix; no longer necessary)?
There have been some studies done that suggested exposure to body can elicit response in other humans. There has been the notion that women who recide together for a while end up having their menstrual cycles syncing. There has also been studies done that showed that the scent of ovulating women could cause testosteron levels in men to increase. Despite these findings, there is no consistent evidence of any human pheromone nowadays.
DeleteBody odor*
Delete“Nursing at the breast exposes the infant to maternal pheromones from apocrine and sebaceous glands in the underarms and in the dark tissue around the nipples” (Kohl & Francoeur, 1995, p.79). These glands have secretions which make up a person’s body scent when mixed with bacteria living on the skin. “After birth, bacteria on the infant’s skin convert the adrenal androgens from the sebaceous and apocrine secretions into the characteristic body odor of newborns” (Kohl & Francoeur, 1995, p.142). Also, during pregnancy, these glands ensure that the infant fully develops.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inforefuge.com/science-of-smell-mother-infant-bonding
Pheromones are secreted chemicals that influences social response or behavior in members of the same species. In mammals it’s believed pheromones are emitted through the Vomeronasal Organ located in the nasal cavity and channeled to the brain.
ReplyDeleteThere are four types of pheromones that influences behavior in mammals including man. This include:- Releaser pheromones which elicit an immediate response, rapid and reliable and usually linked to sexual attraction. Primer pheromones is another example of pheromones that is thought to influence the development of reproduction and reproductive behaviors which may include menstrual cycles and gestation in females. The success or failure of pregnancy is also thought to influence by the primer pheromones.
The third pheromone form is the modulator pheromone, so called because they modulate bodily functions. They can either alter or synchronize bodily functions. Typically they are thought to be released by animals to govern their own moods and actions. Their evidence has usually been found in sweat. Finally we have Signaler pheromones which provide information. They can help the mother bond with and recognize her newborn by scent. Out our genetic odor print is also thought to have it basis on this.
Immunology is one of the areas where I have read that pheromones might still be affecting humans. To quickly summarize the immune system, it is a collection of specific cells and proteins divided into two major groups that can function independently and interdependently to protect the body from pathogens. Some of the most important of these proteins are coded by the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes which are present on most cells and allow the immune system to designate “self” from “non-self”. It is thought that humans are attracted to others who have significantly different MHC genes because of the increased diversity in the potential offspring’s MHC genes. The point being that a combination of the two parent MHC genes could lead to a more immunocompetent child. The link at the end of my post leads to a paper that briefly discusses an experiment where this was tested. Briefly, men wore shirts for a few days without deodorant or other scents and then the shirts were presented to women who either had similar MHC genes or significantly different MHC genes. The study showed that the women preferred the smell of the men with the significantly different MHC genes. It is thought that this is the work of pheromones in human body odor that subconsciously affect our preferences in mates. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123211000397
ReplyDeleteThe scientific studies for human pheromones are still in early stages. An interesting study that was done by Martha McClintock and Kathleen Stern showed that fluids taken from a female donor’s underarms when placed on another female’s upper lip could hasten or delay her menstrual period. However, a definitive pheromone has not been isolated as responsible for this occurrence. Overall, there is just a lack of knowledge on the subject of pheromones in humans. Because humans have higher-level intelligence than other animals, pheromones may not play a huge role in sexual advantage. As humans, we understand reproduction and probably don’t require pheromones for sexual instincts or desires as we may have needed way in the past. If in animals which pheromones are important for reproductive instinct suddenly lacked those pheromones, would they still reproduce? I think intelligence is a major factor for the use of pheromones. It is just difficult to say considering research still has to better define the area of “sexual-attractant” pheromones.
ReplyDeleteWebsites:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct02/pheromones.aspx
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pheromones-sex-lives/
It is thought that the pheromones change based on menstrual cycles such a Ludmila said so I wanted to expand on this. Online I found multiple case studies and articles relating the point in menstrual cycle to physical attraction felt by the males around females. It was generally found that men are more attracted to women who are most fertile, or just before ovulation. It is believed that this is related to the hormones emitted during the ovulation period during the menstrual cycle. If this is true pheromones are most certainly playing a role in Human lives and drive for success. Similar to the plants, male humans are in a way sensing if it is "feasible" to fertilize the "seed" by detecting hormones present during ovulation.
ReplyDeleteDr. Renne's lecture was extremely fascinating. I am curious as to what effect removing garlic mustard has had on other plant species in the Poland Village Forest. I would be willing to assist anyone who is curious in determining that as well. An interesting finding that I have discovered about pheromones is those released by females to be sensed by males. Studies have revealed that males are more attracted to the odor of females that are more genetically compatible to them and repulsed by the odor of females that are a poor genetic match. It appears that this is advantageous by assisting males in choosing a female mate that would better compliment them genetically, therefore increasing the fitness of their offspring.
ReplyDeleteGustav Jäger (1832-1917), is a first scientist comes up with the idea of human pheromones. He said that they were lipophilic compounds that related with skin and follicles which mark the signature of human odors.
ReplyDeleteScientists were able to demonstrate that body odor can show responses in other human. According to research that was done in rodent, human sweat and secretions can affect reproductive readiness of other humans.
I think pheromones plays very important role in reproduction of human. And I can suggest a very old movie about this topic if you haven’t watched it. The name of the movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
I am sorry for the late post, I typed and submitted everything through the phone earlier, but somehow it got deleted.
ReplyDeleteStudies of pheromones is quiet a new field. Pheromones are chemicals that provide information by emitting signals to the opposite sex. They seem to play an important role in attraction between opposite sexes. Fo0r example, one study suggested that
we may even pick our soul mate by subconsciously reacting to pheromones that transmit their genetic compatibility. Which I never knew of. Pheromones are subconsciously detected by nose, brain and nervous system.
One of the pheromones present in human body is androsterone.Men primarily release androsterone through their skin and hair, and it is also present in sweat under the armpits of both sexes.
It was also revealed that pheromones are used in perfume industry, which kind of makes sense, because each one of us always trying to smell nice, not only for yourself but also to attract opposite sex. I think pheromones play an important part in choosing a partner, and in a degree of attractiveness
http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/human-pheromones-the-science-behind-the-scent-of-attraction