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Published online 15 November 2001 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news011115-4
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My, you smell diverse!
Animals may sniff out the mate with the most varied genes.
In underwater courtship, smelling fishy can attract a ladylove more successfully than a bouquet of algae or a gift-wrapped box of brine shrimp.
A new study finds that female stickleback fish prefer the scent of males with the most diverse array of genes in a part of the genome dedicated to fighting disease, called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)1.
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