When choosing a mate, what do you look for? Maybe a sense of humor, or good looks. Well, according to a recent study, we're also looking for a partner who is wanted. This is called "mate choice copying."
Researchers found that women are even more influenced by strangers than men; after viewing short videos of prospective mates on speed dates, women were more likely to like the guys other women showed an interest in, and dislike those who were disliked, regardless of their actual appearance or behavior. Basically, if enough ladies proclaim desire for one dude, you might as well jump on the bandwagon, too.
Prince William is engaged to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton - or so says a "source." It has also been reported that Middleton signed a confidentiality agreement the last time the couple split in 2007. Oh, and another source says they won't be marrying until at least 2013, and speculation about an earlier wedding is "wide off the mark."
A 54-year-old woman from the UK has given birth to twins. According to Karen Johnston, she became pregnant with her ninth and tenth children through fertility treatments - which, amazingly, cost only $4,300 - administered in the Czech Republic.
Bassam al-Kadi is the head of the leading women's right organization in Syria, the Syrian Women's Observatory. He is also a dude. A feminist man is something of a rarity, but Kadi firmly believes the women's rights movement is something that has wide reaching benefits. "I am not defending women, I am defending society," he says. "I as a man suffer if my wife has been subject to violence and is treated as a second-class citizen. [Then] we have an unstable relationship and our children suffer." One word response: Awesome.
A 27-year-old Broadway understudy is claiming that Yasmin caused her to have a stroke. Brenda Hamilton has taken legal action against Bayer, arguing that the drug company did not reveal some of the risks associated with the birth control pill.
The first woman-only bank branch opened in Iran on Monday in the holy city of Mashhad. Although women and men are generally segregated in public, activities like banking and shopping had previously been treated as the exception to the rule.
The Scarlet Alliance, an Australian group representing the rights of sex workers, held the first national International Whores Day even on Saturday. The event was designed to protest against the discrimination against sex workers, and the lack of legislation designed to protect prostitutes.
Live Science begins their article on sexsomnia with this sentence: "As sleeping disorders go, this may not be the worst one." Wait, what? According to a new study, sexsomnia, a disorder in which one unknowingly has sex in their sleep, is present in some 7.6% of sleep disorder patients. They also found that most patients were unwilling to discuss this particular problem with their doctors - which is a real shame, considering how frequently sexsomnia has been used as a defense for rape.
Two activists in Portugal became the first couple married under the new law that permits same-sex marriage. Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao have been together since 2003. They first tried to marry in 2006, but after being turned away, they worked tirelessly to bring gay marriage to the European country. "This is a great victory, a dream come true," said Pires after the ceremony.
By: Katy Kelleher, (Women Choose mates Based on Popular Opinion, 54-year-old Woman Gives Birth To Twins)