Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Menstrual Mood Swings May Have a Use After All

Menstrual Mood Swings May Have a Use After All
(New Scientist)
Indeed, previous experiments have shown that women report getting more pleasure from cocaine and amphetamine use during the follicular phase compared to the luteal phase, says Dreher. He believes his findings may therefore help treat women with drug abuse problems, or those with mood disorders.

Dreher also speculates that increased feelings of reward during the follicular phase—when a woman is ovulating and therefore most likely to get pregnant—may have an evolutionary benefit. “It is interesting to note that, from an evolutionary perspective, the increased availability, receptivity and desire that may occur during the ovulatory period has been thought to facilitate procreation,” he says.

Really? That goes against everything I know of the phenomenon.

“Hobbit” human “is a new species”

“Hobbit” human “is a new species”
(BBC)
In the new study, Dean Falk, of Florida State University, and her colleagues say the remains are those of a completely separate human species: Homo floresiensis.

They have published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The remains at the centre of the Hobbit controversy were discovered at Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Flores, in 2003.

Hooray for Bilbo!