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Your brain knows what you smell like

Posted by Robin on 24 January 2013 5 Comments

You might not be able to pick your fingerprint out of an inky lineup, but your brain knows what you smell like. For the first time, scientists have shown that people recognize their own scent based on their particular combination of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, molecules similar to those used by animals to choose their mates.

— Got that? Read the whole thing at How People Smell Themselves at Wired. Hat tip to Jessica!

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: olfaction

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5 Comments

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  1. bloody frida says:
    24 January 2013 at 12:42 pm

    My question is, do people know what their house smells like? I have vivid scent memory of other people’s homes, esp as a kid, but mine, not so much.

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    • katrin says:
      24 January 2013 at 3:47 pm

      I hope mine doesn’t smell like cats!

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    • mysterious_scent says:
      24 January 2013 at 3:59 pm

      Yes, I had distinct memory of other people’s house when i was a kid. My mum always said I was too sensitive.

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  2. OhLily says:
    24 January 2013 at 5:31 pm

    That’s really fascinating reading! There have always been perfumes I’ve loved on others, but could not abide on myself. My MHC’s must smell like oakmoss and nitromusks, which now makes me wonder if I need to shower even more than I already do, lol! 😉

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    • Robin says:
      25 January 2013 at 9:12 am

      Ha! But yes, me too.

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