OK, for those of you really intrigued with mammalian science -- my
brother-in-law sent me an article from New Scientist last month:

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19426034.400-pheromone-may-help-baby-rabbits-tell-night-from-day-.html

In the study, they artificially fed baby rabbits, exposing some of them to
the nipple-search pheromone they use in nursing, and studied the results. To
quote from the article:

Despite being fed the same amount, the pheromone-deprived animals appeared
to have more digestive problems and were less likely to thrive. "They remain
restless and agitated, they keep moving around, and don't flop to sleep,"
says Hudson. She wonders if a human pheromone might have a hand in infant
digestive disorders, particularly in bottle-fed babies, or even colic, which
is largely unexplained. Baby rabbits with disrupted circadian rhythms remind
her of babies with colic, she says.


Charles Wysocki, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, says
the hypothesis about circadian rhythm is "not implausible". But he is more
intrigued by the findings about impaired digestion. "It has profound
ramifications in mammals in general. These findings have the potential to be
ground-breaking."

Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC
Havertown, PA USA

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