The smelly mystery of the human pheromone | Tristram Wyatt

翻译人员: Li Li 校对人员: Jing Peng

"Pheromone" is a very powerful word.

“费洛蒙”是一种非常强大的物质。

It conjures up sex, abandon, loss of control,

它激起性欲，使人放纵或失去控制，

and you can see, it's very important as a word.

因此它是一种非常强大的物质。

But it's only 50 years old. It was invented in 1959.

但它只有50岁，在1959年被发明。

Now, if you put that word into the web,

如果你在网络中搜索，

as you may have done,

也许你已经搜索过了，

you'll come up with millions of hits,

你会得到百万的搜索结果。

and almost all of those sites are trying to sell you

而且几乎所有的那些网站都试图

something to make you irresistible

卖给你些 10 美元左右的

for 10 dollars or more.

让人不能抗拒的东西。

Now, this is a very attractive idea,

这些广告格外吸引人，

and the molecules they mention

并且他们所提到的分子们

sound really science-y.

听起来很有科学原理。

They've got lots of syllables.

那些单词都有很多音节。

It's things like androstenol, androstenone

就像雄甾烯醇，雄烯酮（androstenol, androstenone）。

or androstadienone.

或雄烯二酮（androstenedione）的单词一样。

It gets better and better,

接着那些广告越来越吸引人，

and when you combine that with white lab coats,

当你看到穿着白大褂的科学家时，

you must imagine that there is

你一定会想

fantastic science behind this.

这东西蕴含深奥的科学。

But sadly, these are fraudulent claims

不幸的是，那些只是欺诈性的宣传

supported by dodgy science.

有伪科学撑腰罢了。

The problem is that, although there are many

问题出在于，即使有很多

good scientists working on what they think

优秀的科学家在进行研究

are human pheromones,

他们所认为的人类费洛蒙，

and they're publishing in respectable journals,

并将其发表于值得信赖的杂志中，

at the basis of this,

但归根到底，

despite very sophisticated experiments,

除去那些非常复杂的实验，

there really is no good science behind it,

还没有真正的科学得以证实，

because it's based on a problem,

因为费洛蒙是基于一个问题所猜想出的物质，

which is nobody has systematically gone through

人类产生数以千计的气味分子，

all the odors that humans produce --

但还没有人系统地

and there are thousands of molecules that we give off.

研究过人类产生的所有气味。

We're mammals. We produce a lot of smell.

我们是哺乳类动物。我们产生许多气味。

Nobody has gone through systematically

没有人通过系统研究

to work out which molecules really are pheromones.

找出过真正的费洛蒙。

They've just plucked a few,

他们摘取了一些样品，

and all these experiments are based on those,

但所有的实验也只是基于那些而已，

but there's no good evidence at all.

并没有什么确凿的证据。

Now, that's not to say

那并不是说

that smell is not important to people.

那气味对人类不重要。

It is, and some people are real enthusiasts,

有些人对此非常痴迷。

and one of these was Napoleon.

其中之一便是拿破仑。

And famously, you may remember

你也许会记得，

that out on the campaign trail for war,

拿破仑在战争后

he wrote to his lover, Empress Josephine,

写给他的情人Empress Josephine

saying, "Don't wash. I'm coming home."

说道 “别洗。我很快回家。”

(Laughter)

（笑）

So he didn't want to lose any of her richness

所以他不想在他回家之前

in the days before he'd get home,

让她失去她的体味。

and it is still, you'll find websites

你可以在网上找到

that offer this as a major quirk.

销售这种怪癖的链接。

At the same time, though,

但是，与此同时

we spend about as much money

我们花费同样多的金钱，

taking the smells off us

先是除去我们的体味，

as putting them back on in perfumes,

接着又重新擦上香水。

and perfumes are a multi-billion-dollar business.

香水可是创造了数十亿美元的产业。

So what I want to do in the rest of this talk

所以我想在接下来的时间里

is tell you about what pheromones really are,

告诉你们什么是费洛蒙，

tell you why I think we would expect

告诉你们为什么

humans to have pheromones,

人类会有费洛蒙，

tell you about some of the confusions in pheromones,

告诉你们关于费洛蒙的误解。

and then finally, I want to end with

最后

a promising avenue which shows us

告诉你们一条我们应当走下去的

the way we ought to be going.

研究道路。

So the ancient Greeks knew

古希腊人知道

that dogs sent invisible signals between each other.

狗给彼此发送隐形的信号。

A female dog in heat

发情期的母狗

sent an invisible signal to male dogs

发送隐形的信号

for miles around,

给数英里内的公狗。

and it wasn't a sound, it was a smell.

这个信号不是声音，而是气味。

You could take the smell from the female dog,

如果你沾上了母狗的这种气味

and the dogs would chase the cloth.

公狗便会尾随你。

But the problem for everybody

但是

who could see this effect

人们可以看到这种现象，

was that you couldn't identify the molecules.

却不能确认这种分子，

You couldn't demonstrate it was chemical.

你不能展示这是一种化学物质。

The reason for that, of course,

当然，这其中原因是

is that each of these animals

这些动物

produces tiny quantities,

只有一点点这种气味产生。

and in the case of the dog,

拿狗的情况来说，

males dogs can smell it, but we can't smell it.

公狗可以闻到，我们人类却不行。

And it was only in 1959 that a German team,

一个德国的团队花了20年时间寻找这种分子，

after spending 20 years in search of these molecules,

终于首次在1959年

discovered, identified, the first pheromone,

发现并且确定了第一个费洛蒙。

and this was the sex pheromone of a silk moth.

这是蚕蛾的性费洛蒙。

Now, this was an inspired choice by Adolf Butenandt and his team,

Adolf Butenandt团队选择蚕蛾

because he needed half a million moths

是因为他们需要数近五十万的蚕蛾

to get enough material to do the chemical analysis.

来提取足够的化学物质以进行分析。

But he created the model

但是他建立了一个模型

for how you should go about pheromone analysis.

来启示以后的研究者应当怎样进行费洛蒙的研究。

He basically went through systematically,

他系统地

showing that only the molecule in question

展示了那个唯一存在问题的分子

was the one that stimulated the males,

就是刺激雄性的分子，

not all the others.

排除了无关的分子，

He analyzed it very carefully.

他仔细地分析了

He synthesized the molecule,

并且合成了这些分子，

and then tried the synthesized molecule on the males

他将这些合成分子用于雄性

and got them to respond and showed it was,

并且获取他们的反馈，

indeed, that molecule.

以确定这些分子是费洛蒙。

That's closing the circle.

由此完成了这一难题。

That's the thing which has never been done with humans:

但如此系统，并且如此强展示性的实验

nothing systematic, no real demonstration.

并未应用于人类。

With that new concept,

但这是个新概念，

we needed a new word,

我们需要一个新名词，

and that was the word "pheromone,"

这就是“费洛蒙”。

and it's basically transferred excitement,

费洛蒙在个体之间

transferred between individuals,

传递兴奋。

and since 1959, pheromones have been found

自1959年费洛蒙发现以来，

right the way across the animal kingdom,

这个在雄性与雌性间传递的概念

in male animals, in female animals.

已在动物王国中证实，

It works just as well underwater

同时在水生生物中同样适用，

for goldfish and lobsters.

比如金鱼和龙虾。

And almost every mammal you can think of

几乎所用的哺乳动物

has had a pheromone identified,

都有确定的费洛蒙，

and of course, an enormous number of insects.

当然， 还包括数量巨大的昆虫。

So we know that pheromones exist

所以我们知道费洛蒙

right the way across the animal kingdom.

存在于动物王国中。

What about humans?

那么人类世界呢？

Well, the first thing, of course,

首先，当然

is that we're mammals,

我们是哺乳动物，

and mammals are smelly.

哺乳动物都是有体味的。

As any dog owner can tell you,

养狗的人会告诉你，

we smell, they smell.

我们有体味，狗也有。

But the real reason we might think

但是，我们认为

that humans have pheromones

人类有体味的真实原因是

is the change that occurs as we grow up.

在我们成长中体味的变化。

The smell of a room of teenagers

青少年房间的气味

is quite different

与小孩的房间气味

from the smell of a room of small children.

是很不一样的。

What's changed? And of course, it's puberty.

什么变化了呢？当然，是青春期。

Along with the pubic hair

暴露的毛发

and the hair in the armpits,

和腋下的毛发，

new glands start to secrete in those places,

腺体产生新的物质，

and that's what's making the change in smell.

这些都是体味改变的原因。

If we were any other kind of mammal,

如果我们是其它种类的哺乳动物

or any other kind of animal,

或者其它种类的动物，

we would say,

我们会说，

"That must be something to do with pheromones,"

“这一定和费洛蒙有关”，

and we'd start looking properly.

然后我们开始研究它。

But there are some problems, and this is why,

但是这其中有一些问题。

I think, people have not looked for

我认为，这就是人们为什么

pheromones so effectively in humans.

不愿意如此深入的研究费洛蒙对于人类的作用。

There are, indeed, problems.

这确实有几个问题。

And the first of these

首先，

is perhaps surprising.

这个原因有可能会使人惊讶，

It's all about culture.

那就是文化。

Now moths don't learn a lot

蚕蛾不知道

about what is good to smell, but humans do,

什么是好的气味，而人类知道。

and up to the age of about four,

在人类四岁以前，

any smell, no matter how rancid,

任何气味，不管有多糟糕，

is simply interesting.

都是有趣的。

And I understand that the major role of parents

我理解父母的一项主要工作

is to stop kids putting their fingers in poo,

就是阻止小孩将手指放到大便里面，

because it's always something nice to smell.

因为他们想闻那个气味。

But gradually we learn what's not good,

但是逐渐的，我们认识到什么气味是糟糕的。

and one of the things we learn

与此同时，

at the same time as what is not good

我们认识到

is what is good.

什么气味是好的。

Now, the cheese behind me

现在，在我身后的

is a British, if not an English, delicacy.

是一块来自大不列颠的（而不是英格兰）精美的奶酪。

It's ripe blue Stilton.

这是一块成熟的蓝斯蒂尔顿（以强烈的气味和味道著名）。

Liking it is incomprehensible to people from other countries.

就像其它国家的人可能无法接受这种奶酪一样，

Every culture has its own special food

每一种文化都有其独特的食物

and national delicacy.

和闻名全国的美食。

If you were to come from Iceland,

如果你来自冰岛，

your national dish

最著名的美食是

is deep rotted shark.

深发酵鲨鱼肉。

Now, all of these things are acquired tastes,

所有这些都需要口味的适应，

but they form almost a badge of identity.

但这和成长环境有关，

You're part of the in-group.

和所属群体有关。

The second thing is the sense of smell.

第二是嗅觉。

Each of us has a unique odor world,

我们每个人都有独特的气味世界。

in the sense that what we smell,

谈到我们闻到了什么，

we each smell a completely different world.

我们闻到的完全不同。

Now, smell was the hardest

嗅觉是最难以

of the senses to crack,

破解的感觉，

and the Nobel Prize awarded to

2004 年的诺贝尔奖

Richard Axel and Linda Buck

颁给了

was only awarded in 2004

Richard Axel 和 Linda Buck，

for their discovery of how smell works.

因为他们发现了嗅觉是怎样工作的。

It's really hard,

这确实非常困难，

but in essence, nerves from the brain

但在本质上，

go up into the nose

大脑的神经延伸至鼻子

and on these nerves exposed in the nose

以及鼻子上类似传感器的

to the outside air are receptors,

暴露在空气中的神经。

and odor molecules coming in on a sniff

气味分子通过吸气

interact with these receptors,

与传感器接触。

and if they bond, they send the nerve a signal

如果他们键合，他们给神经传递一个信号，

which goes back into the brain.

这个信号将到达大脑。

We don't just have one kind of receptor.

我们不是只有一种传感器，

If you're a human, you have about 400

人类有400种不同类型

different kinds of receptors,

的传感器，

and the brain knows what you're smelling

并且大脑根据传感器

because of the combination of receptors

和刺激的神经的组合

and nerve cells that they trigger,

知道你闻到了什么，

sending messages up to the brain

然后用一种组合的方式

in a combinatorial fashion.

将这个信息送达大脑。

But it's a bit more complicated,

但它更复杂一点，

because each of those 400

因为那400个传感器中的每一个

comes in various variants,

都有不同的变种，

and depending which variant you have,

取决于你所拥有的种类，

you might smell coriander, or cilantro, that herb,

你可能会闻到芫荽，香菜或者香草，

either as something delicious and savory

这种好吃又开胃的东西，

or something like soap.

或者类似香皂的气味。

So we each have an individual world of smell,

所以我们有不同的嗅觉世界。

and that complicates anything

这让嗅觉研究

when we're studying smell.

变得复杂。

Well, we really ought to talk about armpits,

现在，我们应该谈到腋窝，

and I have to say that I do have particularly good ones.

我可以肯定地说我有好腋窝

Now, I'm not going to share them with you,

但我不会和你们分享。

but this is the place that most people

不过许多人从腋窝

have looked for pheromones.

寻找费洛蒙。

There is one good reason,

这是有原因的。

which is, the great apes have armpits

拥有腋窝

as their unique characteristic.

是人猿的独特特征。

The other primates have scent glands

其它灵长类动物

in other parts of the body.

在身体的其它部位拥有分泌腺。

The great apes have these armpits

人猿的腋窝

full of secretory glands

充满了分泌腺，

producing smells all the time,

这些分泌腺时时刻刻散发着气味，

enormous numbers of molecules.

这里面包含了数量巨大的分子。

When they're secreted from the glands,

当它们从腺体里散发出来时，

the molecules are odorless.

这些分子是无臭无味的

They have no smell at all,

绝对没有气味

and it's only the wonderful bacteria

这些我们熟悉和喜爱的气味的产生

growing on the rainforest of hair

是由于雨林中

that actually produces the smells

附着在毛发上的细菌

that we know and love.

导致的。

And so incidentally, if you want to reduce

所以，

the amount of smell,

如果你想减少气味，

clear-cutting your armpits

除去腋窝的毛发

is a very effective way of reducing

是减少细菌温床的

the habitat for bacteria,

最行之有效的方法，

and you'll find they remain less smelly

并且你会发现这样可以

for much longer.

使减少气味的效果保持得更久。

But although we've focused on armpits,

但是虽然我们只着眼于腋窝，

I think it's partly because they're the least

我认为部分原因是

embarrassing place to go and ask people for samples.

索取样品不是那么的难为情。

There is actually another reason why we might not

实际上我们不能从腋窝

be looking for a universal sex pheromone there,

寻找到通用的性费洛蒙的另一个原因是

and that's because 20 percent of the world's population

世界上20%的人

doesn't have smelly armpits like me.

没有像我这样的腋窝分泌。

And these are people from China, Japan,

他们来自中国，日本，

Korea, and other parts of northeast Asia.

朝鲜，以及东北亚的其它地区。

They simply don't secrete those odorless precursors

他们根本不分泌那些

that the bacteria love to use to produce the smells

细菌用于产生气味的前导体，

that in an ethnocentric way we always thought of

而自认为高大的我们认为

as characteristic of armpits.

那是腋窝的特征。

So it doesn't apply to 20 percent of the world.

但是并不适用于20%的人口。

So what should we be doing

所以我们在人类费洛蒙的研究中

in our search for human pheromones?

应该做什么呢？

I'm fairly convinced that we do have them.

我相信人类有费洛蒙。

We're mammals, like everybody else

我们是哺乳动物，

who's a mammal, and we probably do have them.

就像其它的哺乳动物一样，我们确实有费洛蒙。

But what I think we should do

但是我认为我们应该

is go right back to the beginning,

回到最开始的研究，

and basically look all over the body.

从身体的各个部位寻找费洛蒙。

No matter how embarrassing,

不管这是多么的令人难为情，

we need to search and go for the first time

我们应该从无人涉足的区域

where no one else has dared tread.

第一次寻找和研究。

It's going to be difficult,

这将会非常困难，

it's going to be embarrassing, but we need to look.

并且令人难为情，但是我们应当这么做。

We also need to go back to the ideas

我们应该回到

that Butenandt used when he was studying the silk moth.

Butenandt 对蚕蛾的研究。

We need to go back and look systematically

我们应该回到系统地研究

at all the molecules that are being produced,

所有分泌出来的分子，

and work out which ones are really involved.

寻找出真正有关联的那些来。

It isn't good enough simply to pluck a couple

仅仅让一些夫妇说“他们有用”

and say, "They'll do."

是不够的。

We have to actually demonstrate

我们需要展示

that they really have the effects we claim.

它们确实有我们宣称的效果。

There is one team that I'm actually very impressed by.

我对一个团队有非常深刻的印象。

They're in France, and their previous success

他们来自法国，他们曾经成功地

was identifying the rabbit mammary pheromone.

确定了兔子的乳腺费洛蒙。

They've turned their attention now

现在他们将注意力转移到

to human babies and mothers.

人类婴儿和母亲。

So this is a baby having a drink of milk

这个婴儿正在

from its mother's breast.

吸嚅母亲的乳房。

Her nipple is completely hidden

她的乳房完全被

by the baby's head,

婴儿的脑袋挡住，

but what you'll notice is a white droplet

但是你会注意到

with an arrow pointing to it,

箭头指向的白色小点，

and that's the secretion from the areolar glands.

那是乳晕腺的分泌。

Now, we all have them, men and women,

不管男性还是女性，我们都有这种腺体，

and these are the little bumps around the nipple,

就是乳头周围的小肿块

and if you're a lactating woman,

哺乳期的女性

these start to secrete.

会产生这种腺体的分泌物。

It's a very interesting secretion.

这是非常有意思的分泌物。

What Benoist Schaal and his team developed

Benoist Schaal和团队

was a simple test to investigate

用一个非常简单的实验来研究

what the effect of this secretion might be,

这种分泌物可能产生的作用。

in effect, a simple bioassay.

实际上，只是一个简单的生物测定。

So this is a sleeping baby,

这是一个熟睡的婴儿，

and under its nose, we've put a clean glass rod.

我们将一个干净的玻璃滴管放在他的鼻子边。

The baby remains sleeping,

这个婴儿仍然熟睡，

showing no interest at all.

没有显示任何的兴趣。

But if we go to any mother

如果我们提取任何一个母亲

who is secreting from the areolar glands,

的乳晕腺分泌物，

so it's not about recognition,

这不是亲子鉴定，

it can be from any mother,

这可以来自任何一个母亲，

if we take the secretion

如果我们提取这种分泌物，

and now put it under the baby's nose,

将它放到婴儿的鼻子边，

we get a very different reaction.

我们看到截然不同的反应。

It's a connoisseur's reaction of delight,

这是行家喜悦的表现，

and it opens its mouth

他张开嘴

and sticks out its tongue

伸出舌头

and starts to suck.

开始吮吸。

Now, since this is from any mother,

既然这是来自其她的母亲，

it could really be a pheromone.

很有可能是费洛蒙，

It's not about individual recognition.

而不是个体识别。

Any mother will do.

任何一个母亲都可以做到。

Now, why is this important,

为什么这个实验如此重要，

apart from being simply very interesting?

而不仅仅只是有意思？

It's because women vary

女性具有

in the number of areolar glands that they have,

不同的乳晕腺数目。

and there is a correlation between the ease

哺乳宝宝的容易程度

with which babies start to suckle

和母亲具有的乳晕腺数目

and the number of areolar glands she has.

是正相关的。

It appears that the more secretions she's got,

母亲拥有越多的分泌物，

the more likely the baby is to suckle quickly.

宝宝就越容易哺乳。

If you're a mammal,

对于哺乳动物，

the most dangerous time in life

刚出生的几个小时

is the first few hours after birth.

是最危险的。

You have to get that first drink of milk,

你必须有奶喝，

and if you don't get it, you won't survive.

如果没有，就难以存活，

You'll be dead.

也就是会死亡。

Since many babies actually find it difficult

对于大多数婴儿，

to take that first meal,

第一次哺乳是困难的，

because they're not getting the right stimulus,

因为他们没有得到适当的刺激。

if we could identify what that molecule was,

如果我们知道其分子，

and the French team are being very cautious,

尽管这个法国团队非常谨慎，

but if we could identify the molecule,

如果我们可以确定其分子式

synthesize it, it would then mean

并且合成它，这意味着

premature babies would be more likely to suckle,

早产儿更有可能哺乳，

and every baby would have a better chance

每一个婴儿更有可能

of survival.

存活。

So what I want to argue is this is one example

我想说的是，这个例子

of where a systematic, really scientific approach

使用了系统的、科学的方法，

can actually bring you a real understanding

可以让你理解

of pheromones.

费洛蒙。

There could be all sorts of medical interventions.

这可以是某种医疗干预，

There could be all sorts of things

或者某种

that humans are doing with pheromones

我们尚且不知道

that we simply don't know at the moment.

费洛蒙的用法。

What we need to remember is pheromones

我们要记住的是

are not just about sex.

费洛蒙不只和性有关

They're about all sorts of things to do

它们和哺乳动物

with a mammal's life.

的各个方面都有关系。

So do go forward and do search for more.

所以应当有更多的研究。

There's lots to find.

还有很多要发现。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）