It is 50 years since the term pheromone was coined, but the jury is still out as to whether there are genuinely human smells which can elicit the most primitive subconscious urges in those around us.

While insects and animals respond automatically to chemical clues given off by their contemporaries and even have a special organ dedicated to the job of doing so, scientists have struggled to pin down a single component which has such a strong physiological effect on humans.

— From The human smell: a powerful force? at BBC News.