14th October 2003: "Pheromones - saying it with smell"

For a long time the idea of pheromones was thought to be ridiculous. Now much more is known about the way in which animals (including humans) communicate by sending aromatic messages through the air.

We are entering an exciting time in the science of communication by smell since the first pheromones were identified some 40 years ago. Whether it is dogs sniffing at a lamp-post or moths finding each other in the dark, smell is turning out to be the key sense for most of the animal kingdom.

New results from molecular biology and neurobiology are coming together with behavioural, ecological and evolutionary work to give a new understanding of how important smell is - and how the brain 'sees' smell.

No ticket, no booking, no experience required.

By Dr. Wyatt:

• Pheromones and Animal Behaviour