Health & science

Men who are wired to cheat

Two out of five men have a gene that makes them more likely to cheat, says a new study. All men come equipped with a gene that regulates vasopressin, a hormone that helps people form bonds with one another. (The hormone has a greater impact on men.) In a study of 1,000 men, Swedish researchers found a variant in this gene, which changes the way a man reacts to vasopressin, reduces his inclination to bond—and increases the likelihood that he’ll cheat. Men with the “cheater” variant were less likely to be married, and of those who were, a much higher percentage reported recent marital problems. These men’s wives described them as difficult to get along with and emotionally unavailable. Since 40 percent of men apparently have the cheater gene, should women be testing their current and future husbands’ DNA? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher tells The Washington Post that such men can overcome the influence of their genes, but only if they make a conscious effort to do so. “No one is saying biology is destiny,” she says. “But I might not start a joint bank account with them for the first few years.”

How flies evade the swatter

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Why is it so hard to swat a fly? Using fast-motion cameras, researchers at the California Institute of Technology set out to answer that question. When they tracked the minute movements of fruit flies, the scientists found that the bugs’ tiny brains are wired to avoid swats from the larger creatures they annoy. Flies are acutely sensitive to air movements; about 100 milliseconds before a swatter or hand hits, the fly instantly positions itself for a jump, placing its center of gravity over its middle legs and aiming its body in the direction opposite the swatter. The fly actually jumps out of the way of doom, and only begins flapping its wings when it’s already in the air. “The idea that the flies anticipate and plan what they’re going to do is very cool,” neurogeneticist Ralph Greenspan tells Science. “It shows an awful lot of sophistication for a brain with only about 100,000 neurons.” The study’s authors say that there is a way to outsmart flies: Bring the swatter down a few inches from where it is sitting, anticipating its escape route. “Most people swat exactly where the fly is,” says study author Michael Dickinson. “You should overshoot the fly.”

The power of fish oil

Italian researchers have discovered that for people with chronic heart failure, a daily fish oil supplement is better than the prescription drug Crestor. People with chronic heart failure have an enlarged heart muscle that can’t effectively pump blood throughout the body, and there are no truly effective treatments. Researchers gave fish oil supplements to thousands of people with chronic heart failure, and found a small but significant reduction in their death rate, compared to both a placebo group and a second group that took Crestor, which lowers cholesterol. Fish oil is full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which increase levels of good cholesterol and reduce inflammation in arteries and throughout the body. “This study changes the certainty of the evidence we have about fish oils,” cardiologist Dr. Douglas Weaver tells the Associated Press. “This is a low-tech solution and could help all patients with cardiovascular problems.”