Sixth Sense: The Vomeronasal Organ Essay -- Biology Essays Research Pa

Sixth Sense The Vomeronasal Organ We are all more influenced by smell than we know. (Hercule Poirot) ....Murder in Retrospect, Agatha Christie Biologists aim long realized that the noses of most vertebrates actually contain two sensory channels. The first is the familiar olfactory transcription, which gentleman possess. The second channel is the vomeronasal complex, a system that has its own separate organs, nerves, and connecting structures in the brain. The function of the vomeronasal system is the abide byion of pheromones, chemical messengers that carry information between individuals of the same species. It was widely believed (as I found in some of the older texts I examined) that humans had long ago discarded this sensory system somewhere along evolutions trail. But convincing behavioral and anatomical evidence has since brought the notion of a human vomeronasal organ (VNO) into the realm of scientific fact. Some thirty years ago, when anatomist David Berliner was studyin g human skin composition using scraped skin cells from the insides of discarded casts, he found that when he left vials containing skin extracts open, his lab assistants would become more friendly and warm than usual (1). When, months later, he unconquerable to cover the vials, the warm and relaxed behavior was noticeably reduced. These findings led him to investigate the possible existence of odorless human pheromones and a sixth sense organ to detect their presence, a VNO.While this early evidence was not empirical, anatomists have since found that all humans display two tiny pits, with duct openings, on some(prenominal) sides of the septum just behind the opening of the nose (3). The duct leads into a tubular lumen lacking a thick, distinct sensory epithelium. ... ...ture textbooks will attribute to humans this mysterious, unconscious sixth sense. WWW Sources1)Chemicals the cause excitementhttp//www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http//www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art 97/pherom.html2)VNO websitehttp//neuro.fsu.edu/research/vomer.htm3)Science Frontiers articlehttp//www.science-frontiers.com/sf090/sf090b06.htm4)Chemical Communication by Willam C. Agosta5) Olfactory Receptors, Vomeronasal Receptors, and the Organization of Olfactory Information. From Cell, a journal6)Howard Hughes olfactory website http//www.hhmi.org/senses/d220.html7)Article from The Scientisthttp//euclid.ucsd.edu/weinrich/theScientist2.html8)Pheromone Book Reviewhttp//www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/psyc-bin/newpsy?7.12Additional SourcesMessages sent through sweathttp//www.patscan.ca//sweat.html