Love stinks: Singles sniff for partners at pheromone parties

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Scott Yacyshyn, left, talks with Tegan Artho-Bentz as she smells a shirt during a pheromone party, June 15, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Partygoers reach for bagged shirts.

The pheromone get-togethers, which have been held in New York and Los Angeles and are planned for other cities, require guests to submit a slept-in T-shirt that will be sniffed by other participants. Then you can pick your partner based on scents.

The parties started out as an experimental matchmaking fest by a woman weary of online dating, but it turns out they also have a root in science. Researchers have shown that humans can use scent to sort out genetic combinations that could lead to weaker offspring.

Several dozen people attended a recent party in Los Angeles, though many chuckled at the idea of finding a match in a smelly T-shirt.

Read the full story.

Find a pheromone party near you.

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Tegan Artho-Bentz reacts after smelling a shirt during a pheromone party.

Mark J. Terrill / AP

A partygoer who gave his name only as Scott, left, meets Martina Desalvo during a pheromone party.

 Follow @msnbc_pictures