Assumptions in choosing a mate challenged

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (UPI) -- A Scottish study challenges longstanding expectations that men are promiscuous and women tend to be more particular when it comes to choosing a mate. Lead study author Dr. Gillian R. Brown of the School of Psychology at the University of St. Andrews said that in 1948, Angus J. Bateman's famous studies in fruit flies showed that males exhibit greater variance in mating success -- defined as the number of sexual partners -- and in reproductive success -- the number of offspring -- when compared to females. "The conventional view of promiscuous, undiscriminating males and coy, choosy females has also been applied to our own species," Brown said in a statement. To test one of Bateman's assumptions, Brown and colleagues collated data on the variance in male and female reproductive success in 18 human populations. While male reproductive success varied more than female reproductive success overall, huge variability was found between populations. For instance, in monogamous societies, variances in male and female reproductive success were very similar. The study, published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, said recent advances in evolutionary theory suggest that factors such as sex-biased mortality, sex-ratio, population density and variation in mate quality, are likely to impact mating behavior in humans.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International

BET YOU DIDN´T KNOW THIS...

Mosquitoes whine to attract mates

MEDWAY, England (UPI) -- Mosquitoes whine to attract a mate of the correct species, said scientists in Britain who study the maddening sound made by the insects. Scientists at the University of Greenwich, Medway, England, found male and female mosquitoes depend on "singing" in harmony to find each other, researcher Gabriella Gibson wrote in a recent issue of the journal Current Biology. The tones are produced, and varied, based on the frequency of their wings beating in flight. Mosquito species have a complex range of genetic diversity that enables them to adapt to myriad habitats, she said. For example, the Anopheles gambiae mosquito in Burkino Faso has seven species and several chromosomal forms, Gibson said. By varying their tones to attract the correct mate, mosquitoes are able to reproductively isolate themselves and maintain their genetic diversity while traveling in swarms that may contain several species, Gibson said. Copyright 2010 by United Press International

I WAITED FOR YOU

I waited for you that night
And you did not come.
I waited for your call,
And you did not phone.
I waited for your car to drive up
And it never appeared.
I wanted to call you around eleven pm,
I want to take you your usual just around then.
But you had an appointment so I thought you were there,
And so I sat waiting for you to appear.
At two o´clock I decided to wait no more.
So, Oscar and I decided to close the door.

I did not fall asleep for another hour or two.
I just laid in bed thinking about me and you.
The next day I awoke with a start at seven,
I was going to call you around then.
But I figured you´d be asleep so it would make no sense,
So I closed my eyes as I laid there surrounded by the smell of incense.
At 9am I sent you a text to remind you to call,
I did not know you were not there at all.
We went out and it was not until after three,
That I expressed what your absence was doing to me.
Because we had such a rule in our home,
I waited for your call feeling somewhat alone.

A call came at 5 but it was not from you,
Suddenly my world changed and I didn´t know what to do.
I went looking for you and no one could say,
I went everywhere searching for you on that day.
Finally at our home someone said those words I still hear,
Then I realized what had happened and I felt the tear.
Days turned into weeks and weeks now into months,
As we seek justice and as the evidence mounts.

I waited for you to arrive that day,
I waited for your call for you to say,
“Hola, negrita, mi amor, como estas?
Ya tengo hambre, en que piensas?”
And I would say, “Adonde sea, cielo, no importa, mi amor,”
Porque ya sabía que sea como sea estaría contigo,
Y juntos estaríamos en nuestro mundo de YO PUEDO.
So I waited for you and you never came,
Now I am sitting here in so much pain.
You are still with me, I know that to be,
Because you were always so much a part of me.

But I waited for you that silent night,
When someone took you away and turned off my light.
I waited for you and I wait for you now,
To tell me what happened, to tell me just how.
Can I go on living without you by my side?
Will my tears forever come with the tide?
Y la pregunta sigue siento lo mismo, mi amor…
La pregunta que te hice muchas veces sin este dolor,
-¿Sabes que, mi cielo?-
Y tu, riéndote me decías, -¿Que, negrita?-
-Te amo un chingo,- yo te decía.
Y nos abrazábamos, riendo, y besando.
And so I wait…

Brenda A. Ysaguirre
January 4, 2010
Copyright 2010 Brenda A. Ysaguirre