Brains vs. Beauty: the never-ending dilemma

Male scientist are good at research because they have the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/2003/02/10/43206.html' target=_blank>hormone levels of women and long index fingers, a new study says.

A survey of academics at the University of Bath has found that male scientists typically have a level of the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/379/11836_casanova.html' target=_blank>hormone estrogen as high as their testosterone level. These hormone levels are more usual in women than men, who normally have higher levels of testosterone.

The study draws on research which suggests that these unusual hormone levels in many male scientists cause the right side of their brains, which governs spatial and analytic skills, to develop strongly, informs Innovations-Report.

According to Scotsman, men studied had levels of estrogen as high as their testosterone levels, which caused the right side of their brains responsible for spatial and analytical skills, to develop more strongly.

Because of the high levels of estrogen, male scientists, were less likely to have children and were more likely to have relatives with dyslexia which may be in part caused by hormonal levels.

Findings also revealed that female social scientists tended to have higher than average levels of testosterone, making their brains similar to those of males.

The study drew on past research which has found that finger length is genetically linked with the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

A person whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger will have received more testosterone while in the womb than a person with a longer index finger who will have had more estrogen.

A survey of the finger lengths of over 100 male and female academics at the University by senior psychology lecturer Dr Mark Brosnan has found that those men teaching hard science like mathematics and physics tend to have index fingers as long as their ring fingers, a marker for unusually high estrogen levels for males.