Chemicals that make babies smell sweet and teens smell 'goat-like' revealed

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Chemicals that make babies smell sweet and teens smell 'goat-like' revealed
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Kamal Nahas is a freelance contributor based in Oxford, U.K. His work has appeared in New Scientist, Science and The Scientist, among other outlets, and he mainly covers research on evolution, health and technology. He holds a PhD in pathology from the University of Cambridge and a master's degree in immunology from the University of Oxford.

For science, volunteers sniffed out odorous chemicals in the armpit sweat of babies and teenagers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they found that young children smelled like flowers and teens smelled like goats — but now, we know which chemicals are responsible for each of these odors.

Using gas chromatography, a technique that splits up chemicals with different properties, the researchers separated and detected the individual odorants in each BO sample. Then, they asked volunteers to smell and describe each chemical's scent.Forty-two odorants were detected, with both age groups producing most of them, Loos told Live Science.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.BO from both age groups also contained carboxylic acids, a class of organic compounds. Some were pleasant, giving off"fruity" or"dried plum-like" notes. Others were less so, smelling"cheesy,""musty" or like"goat." The team diluted each carboxylic acid several times to assess how intensely each one contributed to BO in both groups.

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