the alpha and omega

Age before beauty

Teresa_Lo — 2006-11-28T06:10:00Z

Je mexcuse: Regularly scheduled programming has been interrupted while Michael is the final throes of completing his thesis. He has added me, Teresa Lo, to the roster of writers for this blog in an effort to keep you entertained. Even though I work in the securities industry, I am the furthest thing from a quant; therefore, no highbrow math is forthcoming. Instead, I hope to tickle, sometimes quite inadvertently, the substantial intellects of Mahalanobis readers with crude fodder that only a lowly technical trader of securities can provide. If you are really desperate for a laugh, I can and will provide market opinions (upon request) that are sure to trigger howls of laughter from here to eternity.

And now, here is my first post:

Imoso, the highest-ranking male in the Kanyawara community of Kibale National Park, Uganda, grooms Outamba, a middle-aged female. Male chimpanzees at Kanyawara consistently prefer the oldest females in their community as mating partners, suggesting that the preference that human men exhibit for youthful women is a recent evolutionary phenomenon. For more information, see the Report by Muller et al. in the November 21 Current Biology. (Credit: Photograph by Jean-Michel Krief)

Washington Post: Chimpanzees may be our closest biological relatives, but male chimps appear to differ from male humans in one striking way -- they clearly prefer older females, according to new research...Regardless of the explanation, the findings clearly show that chimps and humans have evolved differently in this important way, the researchers said.

This story got me thinking: are humans really different from chimpanzees? Or were chimps simply more evolved in this department, with humans finally catching up?

According to recent statistics, almost one-third of women between 40-69 are "cougars" dating men at least ten years younger. From Sex and the City to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, the May-December phenomenon is flourishing everywhere. Perhaps economists can provide a working hypothesis?

For readers in Canada, the December 3 episode of Sex, Toys & Chocolate on LifeNetwork will focus on this topic.

MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Winners

Mahalanobis — 2004-09-29T10:13:25Z

The MacArthur Foundation yesterday named 23 new MacArthur Fellows for 2004. Each will receive $500,000 in no strings attached support over the next five years. The MacArthur Fellows Program underscores the importance of the creative individual in society. Fellows are selected for their originality, creativity, and the potential to do more in the future.

Click here for an overview (incl. pictures) of the 2004 Fellows

Europe, Science, and Unity

Mahalanobis — 2004-08-25T22:18:13Z

Nature: Why do science's messages so often get lost in the midst of media coverage of controversies such as genetically modified crops? If they didn't, would a regulatory process that involve more public participation help or hinder technological development? How can we separate hype from reality in fields such as stem-cell research and robotics? What are the neural underpinnings of our awareness of action? And, by the way, how can light be brought to a standstill?

The chances are that, as a Mahalanobisreader, you are interested in all of these questions. They and many others are being addressed in Stockholm, Sweden, on 25-28 August, at a meeting for scientists, policymakers, the media and the wider public: the EuroScience Open Forum 2004.

Let's see what they come up with...

Newsmap

Mahalanobis — 2004-04-03T01:26:59Z

Newsmap is an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. A treemap visualization algorithm helps display the enormous amount of information gathered by the aggregator. Treemaps are traditionally space-constrained visualizations of information. Newsmap's objective takes that goal a step further and provides a tool to divide information into quickly recognizable bands which, when presented together, reveal underlying patterns in news reporting across cultures and within news segments in constant change around the globe.

via The Presurfer

All Typepad Sites Banned in China

Mahalanobis — 2004-03-26T00:25:09Z

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All typepad.com and blogs.com hosted sites are banned in China starting this morning, a week after China has agreed to amend its constitution to respect human rights. This is another move by the Central government to curb free speech and freedom of information on the Internet. This is the first time in two years that China has blocked access to foreign servers that host personal sites.
Source: Glutter

via Marginal Revolution,
check Joi Ito's blog for comments.

related links:
Censorship stepped up to target blogging, RSF
Sites Blocked in China - Highlights, Harvard Law School
Real-Time Testing of Internet Filtering in China, Harvard Law School

Masacre en Madrid

Mahalanobis — 2004-03-11T12:07:21Z

Simultaneous explosions killed 173 people and injured about 600 on packed trains in Madrid on Thursday in pre-election attacks in what could be the bloodiest day in three decades of violent Basque separatism.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts which ripped open rush-hour trains like tuna cans and splattered blood everywhere at one of the three stations hit just ahead of a Spanish national election on Sunday.

Les doy mi pésame a todos los familiares y amigos de las víctimas.

Source: El Pais