What’s That Smell? The Science of Body Odour.
- Date
- 11 Jun 2024
- Start time
- 7:00 PM
- Venue
- Yorkshire Museum
- Speaker
- Professor Gavin Thomas and Mr Reyme Herman, University of York and Dr Michelle Rudden, University of Hull
What’s That Smell? The Science of Body Odour.
Professor Gavin Thomas with Mr Reyme Herman, University of York and Dr Michelle Rudden, University of Hull
Ever wondered why we have body odour? Have you ever considered that we might make it for a reason? While modern humans generally try to mask or stop its production, this is only a very recent change in human behaviour.
Microbiologist Gavin Thomas and his ‘Team BO’ from the Universities of York and Hull explain what body odour is and how it’s made on our bodies. Their research has revealed that certain natural skin bacteria are responsible for the ultimate production of BO molecules, but this is only the result of feeding on molecules that we naturally secrete in our underarms. At the same time their research is revealing the hidden complexity of these communities on the skin and how they can also work together to stop infections from disease-causing bacteria.
They’ll also look at similar odour production systems in other animals and consider how these volatile chemicals can have important functions in animal behaviour. In doing so, they’ll address the resulting question – do humans produce pheromones, a chemical substance made by an animal which affects the behaviour of others of its species?
A Lecture for York Festival of Ideas in the Tempest Anderson Lecture Theatre, Yorkshire Museum, YO1 7DR at 7pm.
About the speakers
Prof. Gavin Thomas is a microbiologist in the Department of Biology at the University of York and has broad ranging interests in how bacteria function in and on the human body, both the good ones and the bad ones. For over a decade now he has worked closely with Unilever on a project to understand the function of the bacteria that live in our armpits and how this relates to the production of human body odour.
http://thomaslabyork.weebly.com/
Mr Reyme Herman is a BBSRC funded PhD student in the Department of Biology at the University of York and studying the bacterial communities that live in the human underarm and revealing the interactions they have with each other, both for BO production and for keeping the skin healthy.
Dr. Michelle Rudden is a new Lecturer at the University of Hull, and worked to elucidate the function of Staphylococcal species in the production of BO when she worked at the University of York with Prof. Thomas and Unilever. She is starting her own research group to understand the role of the healthy skin microbiome in preventing opportunistic infections and in aiding wound healing, with colleagues in the Hull York Medical School (HYMS).
Member’s report
Gavin explained that even today, we do not fully understand the relationship between molecular structure and smell. It is very difficult to predict what a molecule will smell like just by studying its structure. We do know, however, that some molecules – those containing sulfur, for example – register as malodorous.
Humans have two sorts of sweat gland. Eccrine sweat is produced all over the body and helps with thermoregulation. Aprocrine sweat is produced primarily in hairy parts of the body and is hormonally stimulated when we are emotional, stressed or sexually excited.
Three genera of bacteria are found routinely when the axillary (underarm) area is swabbed: cutibacteria, corynebacteria and staphylococci.
Reyme continued the story. Our underarm microbes produce odorous thioalcohols and volatile fatty acids. Research at the University of York established that staphylococcus hominis contains a specialised enzyme, PatB, which releases body odour molecules.
Other abundant skin staphylococci don’t have PatB. However, they produce a precursor molecule which is then further converted by corynebacteria. This is the first observed collaboration between two active bacteria in the skin microbiome.
Concluding a fascinating set of presentations, Michelle talked about the wider role of the skin microbiome in health and disease. A healthy microbiome performs a barrier function, preventing pathogen colonisation; it also tunes our immunity and accelerates wound healing. Understanding how this works could lead to breakthroughs in microbial treatments for chronic wounds.
David Harbourne