Lily of The Valley - Lily of The Valley Phenomenon

Lily of The Valley Phenomenon

See also: bourgeonal

The odor of lily of the valley, specifically the ligand bourgeonal, attracts mammal sperm in a dramatic manner. The 2003 discovery of this phenomenon prompted a new wave of research into odor reception, but no evidence was found that the female sex organ has similar odors of any kind. A 2012 study demonstrated instead that at high concentrations, bourgeonal imitated the role of progesterone in stimulating sperm to swim (chemotaxis), a process unrelated to odor reception.

Read more about this topic:  Lily Of The Valley

Famous quotes containing the words lily of the, lily of, lily, valley and/or phenomenon:

    I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
    —Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 1)

    I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
    —Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 1)

    The older I get the more I trust in the law according to which the rose and the lily bloom.
    Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832)

    To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

    This phenomenon is more exhilarating to me than the luxuriance and fertility of vineyards.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)