Science News for Writers

Source:  dailymail.co.uk Cheddar Man, left, ( Credit: Channel 4)  was discovered in Gough's Cave in 1903 and is believed to be the oldest complete skeleton in the UK.  Retired history teacher Adrian Targett, right, believes he bears an uncanny resemblance to the first modern Briton as well as sharing his DNA.  Read more : Cheddar Man That all humans were black as recently as ten thousand years ago is not exactly news.  White skin, and blue eyes for that matter, are very recent developments in the 6.5 million year history of the family genome.  Why we developed a skin with much lower levels of melanin is probably due to the need to process UV rays into vitamin D, though there is a school of thought that Northern European's white skin also conserved water. Here's the most recent announcement on the topic, along with links to other related stories from the past several years. *  *  *  *  * Face of first Brit revealed: Blu...

Macleans.ca    According to Statistics Canada, approximately 1.9 million Canadians aged 20 and over were in a Living Apart Together (LAT) arrangement in 2011. It’s not a huge number, but it is growing in one category—the 60-plus—where it jumped from 1.8 per cent to 2.3 per cent from 2001-11. (Read full story)    Older adults embracing 'living apart, together' Since 1990, the divorce rate among adults 50 years and older has doubled. This trend, along with longer life expectancy, has resulted in many adults forming new partnerships later in life. A new phenomenon called 'Living Apart Together' (LAT)--an intimate relationship without a shared residence--is gaining popularity as an alternative form of commitment. Researchers say that while the trend is well understood in Europe, it is lesser known in the U.S. This means that challenges, such as how LAT partners can engage in family caregiving or decision-making, could affect family needs. “What has...

medium.com It’s a sign of great character development and exposition that Richard Hatch is never remembered as the gay winner of Survivor and simply as the first winner of Survivor.  Richard was absolutely loathed by a  large part of the audience but it was never because he was gay. It was simply because he was depicted as a cold-hearted villain . ( Full article ) The subject of homosexuality has changed so much over the past fifty years.  When I was in the service during Vietnam, a homosexual in the military faced a prison term and a dishonorable discharge just for being who they were. But time changed.  When a good friend from those days came out to me as gay in 1980, all I could say was to quote the immortal Inspector Jacques Clouseau from Blake Edwards's The Pink Panther series, "I knew that." Today, not really that big a deal, though it still takes courage and self-awareness to state what may be obvious to others. But why are people ...

Source :   Are men afraid of transgender women ?  The Telegraph  Psychiatric diagnoses in young transgender women About 41 percent of young transgender women had one or more mental health or substance dependence diagnoses and nearly 1 in 5 had two or more psychiatric diagnoses in a study of participants enrolled in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention trial, according to an article. Transgender youth -- including adolescent and young adult transgender women assigned a male sex at birth who identify as girls, women, transgender women, transfemale, male-to-female or another diverse gender identity on the transfeminine spectrum -- are a vulnerable population at risk for negative mental health and substance use outcomes. Sari L. Resiner, Sc.D., of Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, and coauthors used a diagnostic interview in an at-risk sample of young transgender women to assess the prevalence of mental he...

Stan quite regularly annoyed Ollie to distraction - repeatedly in every film.  Yet they remained close  friends - on screen and in real life.  What is it about a difficult person that  makes us keep them around? Why we keep difficult people in our lives Close kin, especially female relatives and aging parents, were most likely to be listed as "difficult." Chances are, you have someone in your life who causes a lot of tension and stress. Difficult relationships are common. They are also commonly difficult to evade. Who are these people and why can't we just cut the cord?  New research explores these questions and sheds light on the answers. Plain and simple: They are people you are stuck with, either because you need them or because you can't ignore them. "The results suggest that difficult people are likely to be found in contexts where people have less freedom to pick and choose their associates," says Dr. Shira Offer, of the Depa...

Crew.co Writing a 'to-do' list at bedtime may aid in falling asleep, according to a new  study.  Can't get your mind to slow down and let you get some sleep?  Write out a to-do list. According to this research, this simple chore will help you sleep.  Either because it clears your mind of random thoughts about what you have to do tomorrow, or, as in my case, my life is so tedious and unremarkable, I fall asleep from simple boredom. But no matter why it works, give it a try. *  *  *  *  * Can writing your 'to-do's' help you to doze? Study suggests jotting down tasks can Some 40 percent of American adults report difficulty falling asleep at least a few times each month, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Writing a "to-do" list at bedtime may aid in falling asleep, according to a Baylor University study. Research compared sleep patterns of participants who took five minutes to write down upcoming duties versus p...

Bureau of Labor Statistics Child labor a thing of the past?  No way.  This research reveals how almost all of us deal with  this knowledge when it comes to products we buy.  And we're each guilty to one degree or another . An interesting facet of the human mind - that might impact a story you're working on.  Jeans made with child labor? People choose willful ignorance Consumers 'forget' when products have ethical issues " Consumers not only forget the uncomfortable truth, but sometimes 'mis-remember'  the  facts and believe that the offending product was made ethically ." Many consumers have found a way to cope with the knowledge that products they like have been made unethically: They simply forget they ever knew it.  In a series of studies, researchers found that consumers conveniently "forgot" that brands of desks were made with wood from rain forests or that jeans may have been made with child labor. In...