Making Science More Better For You on 01/26/09

Headlines of the day

Goat starts fire; cat warns family (CNN)
The cheese stands alone.

Early farmers bred different coloured animals for their own amusement (Telegraph.co.uk)
More evidence of the early hemp economy.

Infidelity Produces Faster Sperm, Swedish Fish Study Finds (Science Daily)
Just in case you're thinking of having an affair with a Swedish fish.

No question, they’ve got you coming and going
Frequent Sex And Masturbation In 20s And 30s Linked To Higher Prostate Cancer, But Risks Diminish With Age

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2009) — Men who are very sexually active in their twenties and thirties are more likely to develop prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate frequently, according to a study of more than 800 men.

However the UK research team also found that frequent sexual activity in a man’s forties appears to have little effect and even small levels of activity in a man’s fifties could offer protection from the disease. Most of the differences were attributed to masturbation rather than sexual intercourse.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. Rather, like most things, it’s all in the wrist…ours or someone else’s.