Old People Smell Better Than Young People

Old people do indeed have a distinctive odor, say scientists, but it's a lot better than reputation and bad jokes would suggest. A study involving the unenviable task of sniffing underarm pads found that those aged 75 to 95 gave off a scent more pleasant and less intense than most of those in two younger groups, ages 20 to 30 and 45 to 55, reports the Los Angeles Times. Another quirk: Sniffers could detect gender differences in the younger groups, but not the oldest one, notes the Washington Post.

"As you grow older, you smell more and more like a woman," says the lead scientist, citing changes in men's hormones. "It's almost as if you're going back to what happened before puberty." Their female counterparts fared the best overall.