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Pheramor: New dating app matches users based on their DNA
When sexual chemistry actually becomes chemical
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Your support makes all the difference.Dating apps can be tricky to navigate, particularly when you’re trying to suss out someone’s credibility.
How do you know that Ben from London is really 25-years-old? Is his profile picture recent? Does he really have a puppy? Is his name even Ben?
One thing you can’t cheat is your genetics, which is why a new dating app is using DNA compatibility as a basis for its matchmaking algorithm.
Pheramor requires all users to submit a cheek swab using a specially-created kit from which a team of in-house scientists can sequence the specific genes associated with attraction and identify which users might be sexually compatible.
The process works by isolating the 11 genes that link to our pheromones, the chemical signals that are believed to trigger sexual attraction.
Combining this data with the personal information stated on users’ profiles allows the app to make very specific matches.
“Pheramor uses both your biology and your social technology; we collect your genetic data through a q-tip-like cheek swab and acquire your like, dislikes, and interests from your social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, etc,” the app’s website explains.
“All of this information will be used in our proprietary algorithm, which is designed to learn your preferences.”
The Houston-based app is already up and running but hopes to officially launch in February with 3,000 members.
“When we smell pheromones, what we're actually smelling is how diverse someone's immune system is compared to our own,” explains co-founder Brittany Barreto, who has a PHD in genetics.
“Evolution is very strong. So we're smelling each other, trying to figure out who is the best person to mate with,” she told the Houston Chronicle.
She added that Pheramor's advanced technology digs deeper than traditional dating apps by moving past the basic info listed on most profiles, making it almost impossible for people to cheat their way to a date,
Imposters might have trouble catfishing their way out of this one.
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