House mice prefer mates genetically dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC).
The highly polymorphic MHC genes control immunological self/nonself recognition; …

Genetic heterozygosity is thought to enhance resistance of hosts to infectious diseases, but
few tests of this idea exist. In particular, heterozygosity at the MHC, the highly polymorphic …

Individuals in some species prefer mates carrying dissimilar genes at the major histocompatibility
complex (MHC), which may function to increase the MHC or overall heterozygosity of …

Individuals are thought to have their own distinctive scent, analogous to a signature or
fingerprint. To test this idea, we collected axillary sweat, urine and saliva from 197 adults from a …

Many chemical pollutants have become ubiquitous in the environment, including some that
interfere with hormones and other physiological mechanisms. These ‘endocrine-disrupting …

The detrimental effects of inbreeding on vertebrates are well documented for early stages of
the life cycle in the laboratory. However, the consequences of inbreeding on long-term …

It is widely acknowledged that we need to stabilize population growth and reduce our
environmental impact; however, there is little consensus about how we might achieve these …

Telomeres are DNA–protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes that control genomic
integrity but appear to become shorter with age and stress. To test whether stress causes …

Males of many species produce scent marks and other olfactory signals that function to
intimidate rivals and attract females. It has been suggested that scent marks provide an honest, …

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a critical role in immune recognition,
and many alleles confer susceptibility to infectious and autoimmune diseases. How …