This article by Linda Geddes sheds light on the recent phenomenon of utilising DNA to determine dating compatibility. Companies such as ScientificMatch in the US and GeneParter in Switzerland are making money matching couples based on scent-related DNA components. They guarantee better sex with your partner, fertility and fidelity!
The concept is founded on reputable research conducted in 1995 by Claus Wedekind from the University of Bern in Switzerland. Wedekind carried out a “sweaty T-shirt” experiment where women smelt T-shirts of men around the same age as them and rated their BO. Turns out women prefer the smell of men with dissimilar immune systems - measured by genes for the major histocompatiblity complex (MHC) called leukocyte antigen (HLA) in humans. Six gene variants (alleles) exist and hundreds of common types exist. This has translated to DNA dating companies thinking more dissimilarities predict better compatibility. They take a swap of cheek cells, analyse three HLA genes and compare their similarities. GenePartner also believes particular combinations of alleles are present more often than others in prosperous partnerships.
