Do you have trouble getting along with your in-laws? Maybe you just don't like the way they smell. Many animals, humans included, can use odor to detect who may be a close genetic relation. Depending on the species and their behavior patterns, an animal can use that ability to avoid inbreeding or to make decisions about risking its life in order to help close kin -- while leaving distant relatives and strangers to fend for …
showed first 75 words of 607 total

showed last 75 words of 607 total
…For instance, does it kick into action to avoid marrying people who are too-closely related? There's ongoing research into how odor affects dealings between strangers. "We do find that, subconsciously, odors are influencing how we interact with people. It's not just that he or she has bad breath, so we find them aversive. It's more subtle than that. There's something about their odor that we like or dislike that influences the relationship itself," Mateo says