Science News for Writers

io9.gizmodo.com To many authors it appears designing a protagonist is a process of making them über-masculine, often to the point of parody.  What this research points out is that a man with a beard is seen by most women as a better match than the hyper-masculine.  Or the almost feminine.  A small point perhaps, but something to consider. How beardedness affects women's attraction to men "Extremely masculine and extremely feminine-looking males were least attractive." New research suggests that women tend to find beardedness attractive when judging long-term relationships, perhaps as a signal of formidability among males and the potential to provide direct benefits, such as enhanced fertility and survival, to females. For the study, investigators used computer graphic manipulation to morph male faces varying in facial hair from clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, and full beards, with additional differences in brow ridge, cheekbones, jawline, an...

www.uc.edu Should gay candidates come out of the (political) closet? Study says yes "LGBT elected officials make tremendous public servants because they are painfully aware of the impact policies have on people's lives." A political science researcher finds that the sexual orientation of LGBT candidates no longer poses an impediment to being elected to public office -- and, in some cases, may actually help them win.  Drastic shifts in public opinion in the last decade have seen an uptick in gay and lesbian candidates running for -- and winning -- public office as never before. But experts often advise even openly gay and lesbian candidates to downplay their sexual orientation or risk losing votes. Now, a new study by David Niven, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, calls that advice into question. The research suggests that not only does a gay or lesbian candidate's sexual orientation no longer pose a poli...

www.express.co.uk    Scene from the "Great fire of London" in ITV's new series Destruction of Old St Paul's Cathedral  highlights devastating impact of Great Fire of London “ Thus lay in ashes that most venerable Church, one of the  most antient pieces of early piety in the Christian world ”                                                                      – Writer John Evelyn, 7 September 1666 "Thus lay in ashes that most venerable Church, one of the most antient pieces of early piety in the Christian world," wrote John Evelyn in September 1666. On the 350th anniversary of the fire, to mark the occasion, the University of Leicester Special Collections has made available a number of contemporary eye-witness accounts held within the University archives that illust...