Don’t eat your placenta just yet – it might predict whether your baby’s at risk for autism. By examining the folds in the placenta researchers predicted whether newborns had a sibling with autism with 96.7% accuracy. Via Science Daily
Ladies, forget all the nonsense about libido and lots of testosterone. It’s your estrogen. Yup, just like our friends the rhesus monkeys, estrogen makes us frisky and fertile. Via Science Daily
Delaying kindergarten (red-shirting) not as common as hyped…unless you’re driving a Lexus and drinking too many soy lattes. Via Science Daily
Children who are both bullies and bullied have parents who are both overprotective and abusive (i.e. bullies). Yes there’s a journal called Child Abuse and Neglect. Via Science Daily
More doctors recommending the HPV vaccine…and more adolescent girls getting it. Still only about a quarter up to date on it. Duh, it’s 3 doses, that’s three more office visits, at lesat three more hours waiting…and waiting. Double X Science
Ending on a somber note…
New cognitive test for predicting pedophilia? Glad someone’s studying this stigmatized topic. It’s about time somebody did something useful here. It’s the same test, by the way, first developed to study prejudice – a novel and practical application. Bravo. Via Science Daily
Are there more taxidermists or child shrinks in the United States? Test your knowledge, take the quiz and Speak Up for Kids over at the Child Mind Institute. Maybe pray on better mental health too.