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>>women could sniff out genetic differences in potential mates<<
The ensconcing, in common language, of a supposed direct reciprocal and 'inter-personal' relationship of gene to bearer and bearer to gene is an interesting phenomenon. At the level of a woman smelling a potential mate, I would say she was able to detect her own feelings of pleasure or displeasure. And I would even take it the next step and say that this functions to detect 'histocompatibility.' But to say 'she can detect the genes..' seems a stretch of the popular imagination, probably arising in a professional term of art or classroom shorthand.
>>i think this too is part of a natural selection against incest<<
Similarly, I would probably tend more towards a more immediate explanation -- that her newly mature offspring represent competition for scarce resources such as food. (There is a theory that human children remain small a long time because it makes them unable to compete with adults in food gathering). This, especially when there are overtones of social taboo.
--as usual, I speak in both cases as a layperson.
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Olfaction maahey 03/14/04 06:25 PM Re: Olfaction TEd Remington 03/14/04 07:09 PM Re: Olfaction wsieber 03/15/04 02:09 PM Re: Olfaction jheem 03/14/04 07:27 PM Re: Olfaction of troy 03/14/04 08:49 PM Re: Olfaction Buffalo Shrdlu 03/14/04 08:58 PM Re: Olfaction Faldage 03/14/04 10:01 PM Re: Olfaction belMarduk 03/14/04 11:53 PM Re: Olfaction Jackie 03/15/04 03:43 PM Re: Olfaction maahey 03/15/04 05:36 PM Re: Olfaction maahey 03/15/04 06:12 PM Re: Olfaction wow 03/15/04 08:00 PM Re: Olfaction wwh 03/15/04 09:41 PM Re: Olfaction consuelo 03/15/04 09:46 PM Re: Olfaction wwh 03/15/04 07:19 PM Olfactory Business grapho 03/16/04 11:18 AM Re: Olfactory Business of troy 03/16/04 11:40 AM Re: Olfactory Business inselpeter 03/16/04 02:16 PM Re: Olfaction Father Steve 03/16/04 06:56 AM "Illusion" grapho 03/16/04 09:59 AM Re: "Illusion" wsieber 03/16/04 11:42 AM Re: "Illusion" grapho 03/16/04 12:28 PM Re: mothers wwh 03/16/04 01:49 PM Re: mothers dxb 03/16/04 02:11 PM Re: "Illusion" Jackie 03/16/04 01:43 PM Re: "Illusion" of troy 03/16/04 02:18 PM Re: "Illusion" dxb 03/16/04 02:18 PM Re: "Illusion" belMarduk 03/16/04 10:44 PM Re: "Illusion" grapho 03/17/04 02:38 AM
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