MALES MAKE MORE PHEROMONE IF MAMA HAD ACCESS TO MANY MATES
University of Utah biologists found that when mother mice
compete socially for mates in a promiscuous environment, their sons play hard
and die young: They attract more females by making more urinary pheromones, but
smelling sexier shortens their lives.
“If your sons are particularly sexy, and mate more than they
would otherwise, it’s helping get your genes more efficiently into the next
generation,” says biology professor Wayne Potts, senior author of the new
study.