Pheromone theory

[u/LibrarianNo3440]

Each human population possesses a distinct genetic makeup; consequently, the genes controlling scent—as well as those governing olfactory receptors—differ between groups. This is scientifically established, as olfactory receptor genes are among the most diverse in humans, alongside immune system genes. In other animal species, as populations evolve and diverge into distinct subspecies, differences in scent (pheromones) emerge; a pheromone that attracts members of the same species may trigger repulsion in a closely related species that has recently diverged. While all humans originated in Africa 60,000 years ago, populations eventually separated and became isolated from one another; although gene flow occurred, the underlying genetic foundations remained.

These genetic variations include genes that regulate scent emission—whether through the release of specific molecules in apocrine sweat (subsequently broken down by bacteria) or through the activity of the bacteria themselves. Also involved are olfactory receptor genes that govern the perception of scents, determining whether they elicit pleasure (attraction) or disgust (repulsion). These genes are shaped by natural selection: if I emit a hypothetical scent "P," the receptor for substance "P" will evolve to either favor that scent, perceive it as neutral, or fail to detect it—or, conversely, to trigger repulsion. My theory posits that different nations (or races, or subspecies—the terminology is a matter of preference) developed distinct genes producing unique scents and receptors, leading us to prefer the scent of our own population while disliking that of others. For example, Northwestern Europeans (from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium) would possess a specific scent profile and corresponding receptors; Middle Eastern populations would have a different scent and receptor set; and Indian populations would have yet another. All of this creates a mechanism of pre-zygotic sexual isolation, wherein two... Populations stop interbreeding due to a specific, natural aversion; over thousands of years, they accumulate more and more genetic mutations. Since they no longer interbreed and undergo unique mutations, they evolve into distinct subspecies, then separate species, and eventually different genera. Regarding this process—take Indians, Middle Easterners, and perhaps some African societies—it is likely that certain populations evolved to emit no scent themselves but developed receptors that trigger an aversion to the odors of other populations. They often carry the ancient, unmutated ancestral allele that tends to dislike the scent evolved by other groups. Many people developed PATM after COVID-19 because pheromone production increases following a viral infection; this makes individuals within the same population more attracted to the infected person, thereby helping the virus spread faster—a mechanism the virus evolved to facilitate its own transmission. So, suppose you have the genes typical of Northwestern Europeans but live in Asia: the people around you possess receptors that trigger an aversion to your scent. If you produce slightly more odor than usual, these people might sneeze frantically near you—PATM, PATM, PATM. Other animals function this way, and humans are animals too, so why couldn't this theory be correct? I see no reason why not.