My picks from ScienceDaily

Female Antarctic Seals Give Cold Shoulder To Local Males:

Female Antarctic fur seals will travel across a colony to actively seek males which are genetically diverse and unrelated, rather than mate with local dominant males. These findings, published in this week's Nature, suggest that female choice may be more widespread in nature than previously believed and that such strategies enable species to maintain genetic diversity.

How Badger Culling Creates Conditions For Spread Of Bovine Tuberculosis:

A stable social structure may help control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) among badgers, ecologists have found. The findings -- published online in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology -- have important implications for the role of badger culling as part of the strategy to control bovine TB in the UK.

Animal Studies In The Land Of The Midnight Sun Illuminate Biological Clocks:

The temperature hovers around freezing, but the sun is up for 24 hours each day. How do animals living in the continuous light of the Arctic summer know when to sleep and when to be active? Do they maintain a 24-hour cycle of rest and activity, or does living in continuous light alter their circadian rhythm?

Romance, Schmomance: Natural Selection Continues Even After Sex:

Some breaking news, just in time for Valentine's Day: Researchers have identified something called "sperm competition" that they think has evolved to ensure a genetic future. In sexual reproduction, natural selection is generally thought of as something that happens prior to -- and in fact leads to -- the Big Event. This thinking holds, for example, that we are drawn to physical features that tell us our partner is healthy and will give us a fighting chance to carry on our genetic lineage. But a new article in the February issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science suggests that the human male has evolved mechanisms to pass on his genes during post-copulation as well, a phenomenon dubbed "sperm competition."

Chimp Stone Age: West African Chimpanzees Have Been Cracking Nuts With Stone Tools For Thousands Of Years:

Researchers have found evidence that chimpanzees from West Africa were cracking nuts with stone tools before the advent of agriculture, thousands of years ago. The result suggests chimpanzees developed this behaviour on their own, or even that stone tool use was a trait inherited from our common ancestor.

Lifestyle Changes Can Improve Male Sexual Function, According To New Study:

In a study published in the February 2007 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers report that erectile dysfunction was significantly and independently associated with age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and lack of physical activity. There was an especially high prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men with hypertension and diabetes, suggesting that screening for erectile dysfunction in these patients may be warranted. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Hospital analyzed data from 2126 men who participated in the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Speed Dating Study: Selectivity Is Ultimate Aphrodisiac:

Speed daters who romantically desired most of their potential partners were rejected quickly and overwhelmingly, according to a new Northwestern University study. Conventional wisdom has long taught that one of the best ways to get someone to like you is to make it clear that you like them. Now researchers have discovered that this law of reciprocity is in dire need of an asterisk in the domain of romantic attraction.

Psychologist Explains The Neurochemistry Behind Romance:

The Beatles' George Harrison wondered in his famous love song about the "something" that "attracts me like no other lover." A University at Buffalo expert explains that that "something" is actually several physical elements that -- if they occur in a certain order, at the right time and in the right place -- can result in true love.

Early Social Experiences Can Influence Adult Behavior In Romantic Relationships:

The way in which individuals think, feel, and behave in their adult romantic relationships is governed not only by factors in their immediate surroundings, but is also a direct result of their past relationships and personal attachment extending all the way back to childhood, according to a study reported in the recent issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). At the time of year when many reflect on their romantic experiences--Valentine's Day, this study sheds light on how relationships are shaped by early experiences.