In a very smelly study, scientists from the University of York have discovered what causes the stench that comes from people’s sweaty armpits.
Our bodies are home to many tiny organisms that we can’t see, and they particularly like armpits. Some scientists even say that the warm, moist conditions are like a “lush rainforest” for bacteria. The researchers say that stinky pits are produced by one particular microbe, which feeds on a substance made by the body’s sweat glands.
Although commonly referred to as body odour, the scientific name for the chemicals that cause the smell is thioalcohols. Professor Gavin Thomas, one of the study’s lead researchers, says our noses are particularly sensitive to their “cheesy, oniony” aroma, and one armpit-dwelling microbe, called Staphylococcus hominis, produces more thioalcohols than most.…
