Women Getting Shorter, Heavier

Harm to amygdala seems to impair 'loss aversion'

(NEWSER) - People with damage to their amygdala, a deep part of the brain that governs basic value judgments, are more likely than others to take big risks for uncertain payoffs. A new study pitted 2 women with amygdala-specific lesions against 6 controls in tests of their willingness to gamble. The control group went for it only if the return were 50% to 100% higher than the potential loss; not so with the brain-damaged participants. More»

Study of 8,200 Chinese from north and south shows .3% variation

(NEWSER) - A massive gene study of ethnic Chinese in the north and south of the country has revealed key divergences that correspond to dialect groups and could account for some hereditary diseases. The study of 8,200 people from 10 provinces and Singapore found significant variation in .3% of the genome, with possible links to a genetic predisposition to maladies like nasopharyngeal cancer, prevalent in the south but not in the north. More»

Seven times as many women stay when serious illness strikes

(NEWSER) - Relationships fail seven times more often when illness strikes the female partner than when it strikes the man. Researchers don't know why, but theories abound: “There is an immediate shift in a relationship when an illness is diagnosed,” a counselor tells the Times of London. Gender roles change more radically for men when partners become “patient and carer.” And there is often less sex and intimacy, “something many men struggle to accept.” More»

(AP) - Being fat could become the leading cause of cancer in women in Western countries in the coming years, say European researchers. Being overweight or obese accounts for up to 8% of cancers in Europe. That figure is poised to increase substantially as the obesity epidemic continues, and as major causes of cancer, such as smoking, drop. Colorectal cancer, breast cancer in menopausal women, and endometrial cancer accounted for 65% of all cancers linked to being fat. More»

Females see offspring through to maturity

(NEWSER) - Stumped scientists finally have a clue about the evolutionary purpose of post-menopausal women. Female killer whales—who outlive males by decades—stick around to nurture their kin through maturity, the Los Angeles Times reports. Similarly, human mamas may stick around to ensure their kids really, truly, don't need them anymore. Older whales, incidentally, are also more adept at raising strong kids. More»