Body Odor Age, Essay Example

The article by Mitro et al. investigates if human beings may determine age of individuals through their body odors. On the one hand, the chemical structure of body odors is able to communicate information, and, on the other hand, body odors change throughout the growth of the human being. Previous studies have suggested that the human being is able to discriminate age based on body odor, but a more rigorous scientific study has not been performed, thus prompting Mitro et al.’s research. The study was structured according to three specific age groups, young (20-30 years), middle age (45-55 years) and old age (75-95), whose body odors were then to be assessed by 41 participants, classified as belonging to the “young” age group. The scientists tested the participants with regards to, firstly, if they could discriminate body odors according to the determined age groups, and, secondly, if they could accurately determine which body odor belonged to which age group.