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New research shows that autism may be linked to male hormones circulating in the developing fetus, and babies who produce high levels of testosterone are more likely to be autistic. It’s an affliction that mostly shows up in males. This has led to the theory that autism is an exaggerated form of the way ordinary men think and behave. Researcher Simon Baron-Cohen says, “What I am doing is testing this idea that autism might be an extreme of the male brain.” Baron-Cohen tested amniotic fluid taken from 70 pregnant women during amniocentesis for testosterone levels. When the children were born, he found that “Those who had a high level of testosterone also found it more difficult to fit into new social groups.” While they were not actually autistic, they did have more autism-like traits.read more

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Some scientists think they can make Mars into a livable planet again by tinkering with its atmosphere. “Terraforming has long been a fictional topic,” says NASA’s Michael Meyer. “Now, with real scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities, as well as the potential ramifications, of transforming Mars.” But they’ll have to watch out for the electrified dust devils.

6903,1179587,00.html,Robin McKie writes in The Observer that researchers who want to terraform Mars point to the fact that traces of methane have been found in the Martian atmosphere. This is a result of decaying life forms, meaning Mars was once hospitable to life and could be again.
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Why are some people so much smarter than the rest of us? One reason may be that they’ve learned how to use both sides of their brain at the same time. Scientists know that the left side of the brain is the problem-solving side, while the right side is more imaginative. But if you’re one of those rare people who can combine them, you can harness incredible brain power.

A recent study of teenagers who are above-average math students found that the right and left halves of their brains are better able to work together than the brains of average students. Psychologist Michael O’Boyle says, “Giftedness in math, music or art may be the by-product of a brain that has functionally organized itself in a different way.”
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The oldest skull ever discovered in the Americas, of a woman who died 13,000 years ago at age 27, was found in Mexico in 1959, but has never been tested until now. Geologist Silvia Gonzalez, who was finally able to get the Mexican skull carbon-dated, says its long, narrow shows it is not Native American. She believes the first Americans came from Japan by boat, and says, “If this proves right, it’s going to be quite contentious. We’re going to say to Native Americans, ‘Maybe there were some people in the Americas before you, who are not related to you.'”
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