Did men's yearning for young women create the menopause?

My take: this idea reverses cause & effect.

To understand, it is necessary to remember that natural selection favours characteristics that produce the largest number of descendants.  For a woman, there comes a time as she ages, that as her strength & general health decline, her descendants are better served by assisting her children in raising her grandchildren rather than undertaking the risks of pregnancy with her diminished powers.  It is in her reproductive interest, therefor that a woman's fertility declines relatively quickly as she ages.  This terminates in menopause.

Having children does not pose the same risks to men, & so their fertility declines more slowly, in line with the general deterioration of their powers.  In practice, this means that men are capable of fathering children into their 70s & beyond.

Following the natural selection principle, is there a reproductive advantage for men preferring young women?

As discussed above, women's fertility declines as they age.  Youth, therefore, is an indicator of fertility.  In general, characteristics which are thought to be beautiful in women are indicators of fertility, e.g. smooth skin, large breasts.  In general, these indicators of fertility are most prominent in the young.  

To summarize: men are attracted to fertile women, rather than young women per se.

Playing devils advocate, it could be said that the above is mere speculation. Where is the evidence?

Relevant evidence was posted on these pages last week: a study of tips received by lap dancers revealed that men have a preference for women who are ovulating, i.e. whose fertility is greatest.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2341407/Did-mans-yearning-young-women-create-menopause-Research-suggests-men-caused-middle-age-loss-fertility.html#ixzz2WBrkynus / Research wandering eyes middle-age loss of fertility in women study suggests preferential dating menopause women ability offspring children age Professor Rama Singh McMaster University Canada menopausal menopause evolution older women need ability baby child babies children men stop mate sex men's predilection younger females preferential mating menopause scientist researching prolong women women's fertility generation generations preference younger mates reproduce until they died favor favored favoured young mates shunned older males developed losing fertility lost their appeal potential breeding partners average age for the loss fertility 52 chimpanzees closest animal relatives cousins fertile near end their lives age 45 other species pilot killer whales experience published in the journal Public Library of Science Computational Biology controversial theory attracted criticism other specialists  reason infertile middle age mystery Dr Maxwell Burton-Chellew evolutionary biologist Oxford University dismiss dismissed plain wrong human humans strong preference younger females less fertile /

Ditch batteries forever with the NX-ECO Battery-Free Wireless Notebook Mouse by Genius

Credit: Genius/ The Gadgeteer

"Battery free"?  Well, kinda ... it uses a capacitor to achieve the same thing.

So, what's the point?  It charges in 3 minutes (sic).   Fast charge times are typical of capacitors.

Other  characteristics of capacitors are multiple charge cycles (100,000 typical) :) & low energy density compared to lithium ion :(

Frequent recharges are likely to be required, making this a perfect candidate for wireless charging.  Unfortunately the design doesn't provide for it.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/23/ditch-batteries-forever-with-the-nx-eco-battery-free-wireless-notebook-mouse-by-genius/ / mouse pointing device electricity computer mouse /

Tesla Model S • battery swap, HD video, official

Video in yesterday's post gives a slightly better view of the actual battery swap – this official version has better coverage of progress on both vehicles, & has a spiel from Elon Musk.

/ LiIon lithium ion battery pack chemistry range charge recharge swapping service range electric vehicle EV supercharger /

New attack cracks iPhone autogenerated hotspot passwords in seconds

Take home message: if you are using the hotspot feature on an iPhone, make sure you change the password.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/new-attack-cracks-iphone-autogenerated-hotspot-passwords-in-seconds/ / iOS Apple iPhone iPad iPod hack hacking hacked piggy back piggy-back piggyback steal theft secure security insecure secure protect password cell mobile smartphone smart phone hotspot feature current device override automatic password secure connection team researchers crack exploit exploiting vulnerability vulnerable weaknesses weakness version versions 6 earlier pick small pool passwords default computer science department Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen Germany 24 seconds possible combinations time required cycle through optimized list possible password candidates capture four-way handshake negotiate negotiated wireless enabled device successfully connects WPA2 Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, device capture can be completed under a minute possession underlying hash attacker perform unlimited number offline password guesses important security implications share device's mobile Internet connectivity other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets adversaries within range network exploit weakness quickly determine default pre-shared key prevent unauthorized join joining attackers leach connection monitor spoof e-mail network data passes between connected devices access point /

Demonstration of Tesla Model S battery swap today – video – update

"Fastest gas pump in LA" competing with "Tesla battery pack swap"
Credit: Tesla/ Green Car Reports

Readers may recall mention of battery swapping for the Tesla Model S.  Elon Musk has tweeted that a battery swap will be demonstrated today at 8:00 pm (Thursday 20 June, US Pacific time).  Video will be available on the Tesla website at 9:30 pm US Pacific time.  That's 5:30 am Friday UTC, 2:30 pm Friday Australian EST.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084892_tesla-to-show-battery-swapping-for-model-s-tweets-elon-musk

Update 11:58 pm US Pacific: video available on YouTube, looks like it was filmed from the audience. Haven't been able to locate the official Tesla video at this time. They actually swapped two batteries in less time than an internal combustion engine vehicle was able to fill up.



Update 23 June: Video above gives a slightly better view of the actual battery swap – official version below has better coverage of progress on re-energizing both vehicles, & has a spiel from Elon Musk.

/ LiIon lithium ion battery pack chemistry range charge recharge swapping service range electric vehicle EV /

New gasolene mileage rules will reshape what Americans drive

Credit: Green Car Reports

A confluence of global warming & dwindling recoverable petroleum resources has led the automotive industry in the United States to agree to meet a corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) figure of 54.5 mpg (US) by 2025.

Toyota's Prius exceeds this requirement now.  The challenge is contained in the "C" for corporate in "CAFE".  That's a corporate average fuel economy figure.  I.e. it takes into account all vehicles in a corporation's model range.  For Toyota, that includes not only the Prius, but it's largest pickup & everything else in between.

John Voelcker takes a look at how this will change cars in the USA.  Look for something very similar in your country too:

Part I: Part I: Aerodynamics & Weight
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084852_new-gas-mileage-rules-will-reshape-what-americans-drive-aerodynamics-and-weight

Part II: Engines & Transmissions
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1079103_new-gas-mileage-rules-will-reshape-what-americans-drive-engines-and-transmissions

Part III: Hybrids, Electrics, Cost
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084851_new-gas-mileage-rules-will-reshape-what-americans-drive-hybrids-electrics-cost / auto transmission aerodynamic aerodynamics wind tunnel slippery shape wind resistance air drag fuel consumption battery lead acid lithium ion charge recharge hybrid electric CVT single speed multi speed transmission automatic engine internal combustion atmospheric supercharged supercharger turbo turbocharged turbocharger naturally aspirated efficiency charge recharge plug in plug-in range mpg litres per 100 km kilometer kilometre miles per gallon imperial UK EPA rating window sticker differences fuel efficiency calculated slippery shapes cars diets lose excess weight mass wing mirrors spats corners wheel arches reduce airflow turbulence drag swirls eddies  swirl eddy eddie smooth out airflow over car active grille shutter smooth undertray wind tunnel mild petrol fuel energy /

MRI reveals kids with autism may find human voices irritating

MRI studies appear to show that the parts of the brain which deal with human voice are connected to reward centres differently in the autistic.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57589951-76/mri-reveals-kids-with-autism-may-find-human-voices-irritating/ / centre center observed children many kids autism hard time communicating socializing research scientist study using MRI scans clues clue weaker connection brain language reward centers human voice pleasure Proceedings National Academy of Sciences researchers underconnectivity functional MRI track tracks blood flow look for brain activity connectivity high-functioning autism normal IQ trouble hearing emotion speech voices voice same age exhibited weaker connections between brain responds human voice region associated pleasure reward weaker link voice processors amygdala emotion ability perceive emotion elegant approach neuroimaging Andrew Adesman Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York replicate findings further studies expand research weaker brain connections neurological deficiency /