Are humans hardwired for monogamy?

Evolution steered humans toward pair bonding to ensure the survival of genes. But humans tend to get restless.

  • Monogamy is natural, but adultery is, too, says biological anthropologist Helen Fisher.
  • Even though humans are animals that form pair bonds, some humans have a predisposition for restlessness. This might come from the evolutionary development of a dual human reproductive strategy.
  • This drive to fall in love and form a pair bond evolved for an ecological reason: to rear our children as a team.
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Grandmas may be key to species survival, says new study

New research on killer whales may shine a light on the evolutionary power of menopause.

Photo Credit: Dan Antoche-Albisor / Getty Images
  • New research on killer whales suggests that post-menopausal grandmothers play a powerful role in the survival of generations that follow them.
  • "The Grandmother Hypothesis," theorizes that by surviving long past menopause, a woman improves the survival and reproduction of her children's children and, thus, her own genes.
  • Not only do grandma whales help raise and share their own food with their grandoffspring, they bequeath decades of foraging wisdom onto the next generation, guiding them to the best feeding spots.
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Male sperm count is declining globally. Exercise helps.

A new study in Human Reproduction says men have to keep moving.

Photo by: QAI Publishing/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
  • A new study, published in Human Reproduction, found that exercise helps increase sperm motility.
  • 746 healthy young men were studied over a six-month period; the more exercise they got, the better their sperm.
  • Globally, sperm counts have gone down by over 50 percent over the last half-century.
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7 (more) board games to help kids think big

We catalogue seven more board games to teach children science, problem-solving, and even foster their creativity.

(Photo: Pixabay)
  • The number of board games being released each year is unprecedented.
  • Among the deluge of new and interesting titles, many can help develop life-critical skills, such as creativity, problem solving, and lateral thinking.
  • We look at seven more board games that help teach children to think big.
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Scientists can now predict at birth who will have academic success

Study identifies predictors of which students are likely to do well in education.

  • Researchers looked at data from 5,000 students and found 2 factors that were strongly linked to academic success.
  • Students with genetic predisposition towards academics were much more likely to go to University.
  • Equally important was having well-educated parents with wealth.
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