And in the past Dr Wedekind has found evidence suggesting that this may be true of people, too.

ECONOMIST: Cor, you don��t half smell

Dr Milinski and Dr Wedekind also found an association between a woman's MHC genes and some of her preferences for perfume.

ECONOMIST: Perfume science

It was not until 2001, however, that Manfred Milinski and Claus Wedekind of the University of Bern wondered whether there was a correlation between the perfume a woman preferred and her own natural scent.

ECONOMIST: Perfume science