In my story Crack

In my story Crack, there are angels who put on human bodies. These human bodies have working pheromone receptors. The reason is that the angels wanted to create the perfect human body—something they believed would be fully functional—so they caused themselves to have functioning pheromone receptors.

However, when they procreated in human form (which was the original reason for creating those bodies), they accidentally had a child who was only human. Because the bodies were human, the sperm and ovum were human, producing a biologically human child. However, since the bodies had functional pheromone receptors and no genes that would disrupt them, the baby’s inherited body also had functioning pheromone receptors.

In the story Crack, humans originally had dysfunctional pheromone receptors. I later decided to change that. I decided that regular humans—those not born of angels—would also have functioning pheromone receptors. The reason is observation. One person once said that everyone in your family actually has a distinct smell; you just don’t notice it because you grew up with it.

When I thought about that, I realized many people say that the children, relatives, or family members around them have a very specific scent. Sometimes it could be perfume, since they can identify it, but my theory is that they may actually be sensing pheromones.

These pheromones could help them identify who they are with and who their family is—especially the person who posted the video—because that may have been his own way of identifying his family.

I also think pheromones may exist because scientists have found a pheromone receptor in the human brain, although it was described as damaged. My theory is that, while it may have been damaged in the person studied, this may not be true for everyone. Some people may have functional pheromone receptors, while others may have a genetic mutation that disrupts them. Normally, that disruption would be considered a genetic disorder.

Another reason I believe pheromones may still exist is related to mothers and newborns. Some mothers produce a secretion on the nipple. When researchers took sweat from the nipple and placed it near a baby’s nose, the sleeping baby began suckling the air. This suggests that pheromones may create a biological reaction in the baby, triggering the instinct to suckle so the baby can survive. I think it is possible that some babies struggle to latch because of a broken or disconnected pheromone receptor in the brain.

Basically, it is possible that some babies have functional receptors, or that they have a gene or mutation that makes the receptor functional during infancy but gradually degrades as they grow older. I believe this may relate to what is called sympathetic pregnancy, also known as Couvade syndrome. In cases of sympathetic pregnancy, men whose partners are pregnant may experience symptoms such as nausea, weight gain, food cravings, abdominal pain, mood swings, fatigue, depression, irritability, reduced libido, difficulty sleeping, headaches, backaches, and leg cramps. These symptoms typically begin in the first trimester, often diminish during the second, and may return during the third.

I think what may be happening is that a pregnant woman’s body secretes pheromones, and some partners have functioning receptors that respond to them. Some women may secrete stronger pheromonal signals than others, and some men’s bodies may respond while others do not. It is possible that some men have damaged receptors, so their noses may detect the signal, but their brains cannot properly translate it because of mutation or disconnection. Other men, whose receptors are functional, may process the signal and develop similar symptoms.

I have also wondered why this would exist. Pregnancy symptoms in men might help them understand what their wives are going through, but it could also create tension—especially considering that males generally have higher testosterone levels, and increased testosterone is often associated with more intense anger and reduced impulse control in some cases.

Then I considered another possibility. What if this is a way for women to tell whether the pheromonal parts of a man’s brain are functional? My theory is that God designed this response so women could recognize whether their partner can receive pheromonal signals. It is common for some fathers not to bond instantly with their newborns. If a man experiences sympathetic pregnancy symptoms, it could signal that he can receive pheromones—not only from his partner but also from the baby. If babies emit pheromones that promote bonding, a father with functional receptors might bond more quickly and strongly when near the child.

Some reports suggest that many fathers who genuinely believed a child was theirs before DNA testing were proven right & able to identify their biological child in DNA testing, particularly in divorce cases where paternity was questioned. This makes me wonder whether there could be biological mechanisms that help a father recognize his own seed.