Mate preferences and choices for facial and body hair in heterosexual women and homosexual men: influence of sex,population, homogamy,and imprinting-like effect

Recent research has reported that male body and facial hair influence women's mate preferences. However, it is not clear whether such preferences are typical for women or for individuals who prefer males as sexual partners. Here we explored body and facial hair in preferred and actual partners among men and women who prefer men as sexual partners. Including homosexual individuals provides a unique opportunity to investigate whether evolved mating psychologies are specific to the sex of the individual or sex of the partner. Based on an online survey of 1577 participants from Brazil and the Czech Republic, we found that, on average, homosexual men preferred hairier stimuli than heterosexual women, supporting past findings that homosexual men have strong preferences for masculine traits. Preferences for facial and body hair appear to be influenced less by sex of the preferred partner than sex of the individual, pointing to a possible sex-specific mating psychology. Further, Brazilians preferred bigger beards than Czechs, which was positively associated with the self-reported amount of beardedness in Brazil, suggesting that familiarity effects underpin cross-cultural differences in preferences for facial hair. Moreover, homosexual men preferred a self-similar degree of beardedness, and Czech women preferred a similar degree of beardedness as their fathers had during their childhood. However, these effects were not associated with the level of facial hair in their actual partners; in general, mate preferences and actual mate choices for facial and body hair differed. Thus, individual differences in some self-reported characteristics, cultural factors, and aspects of personal experience may modulate differences in preferences for masculine traits.     

Mating system and pollen dispersal in Dipteryx alata Vogel (Leguminosae): comparing in situ and ex situ conditions

Tree Genetics & Genomes - Aquaporins (AQPs), which belong to a highly conserved superfamily of major intrinsic proteins (MIPs), play key roles in regulation of movement of water and other small...     

What have we learned from the dead? A compilation of three years of cooperation between entomologists and crime scene investigators in Southern Brazil

With homicide rates higher than the world average, Brazil stands out as one of the most violent countries worldwide. Time of death estimation based solely on body changes can be biased or inaccurate; forensic entomology can play a determinant role in such cases. Accurate knowledge of necrophilous fauna is essential to validate experimental data and allows for the application of entomological evidence in forensic investigations, which benefits scientists, investigators, and society in general. Entomological evidence from Curitiba and 22 nearby cities were collected by crime scene investigators from the Scientific Police of Paraná. The corpses were found in diverse environments and specimens from each species were collected from all life stages. We present data from 25 cases from 2011 to 2014, including associated species, new records, and comparisons between existing experimental data and data from species collected in the cases presented. We identified 23 total species, of which eight species of Coleoptera and two species of Diptera have not previously been recorded on corpses. In all cases, Calliphoridae (76%) and Silphidae (48%) were the most numerous families collected. Working together with the scientific police gave us insight into which species lacked detailed records and enabled us to collaboratively focus on resolving deficits in our knowledge of necrophagous insects.     

The effect of cumulative endurance exercise on leptin and adiponectin and their role as markers to monitor training load

Leptin and adiponectin play an essential role in energy metabolism. Leptin has also been proposed as a marker for monitoring training load. So far, no studies have investigated the variability of these hormones in athletes and how they are regulated during cumulative exercise. This study monitored leptin and adiponectin in 15 endurance athletes twice daily in the days before, during and after a 9-day simulated cycling stage race. Adiponectin significantly increased during the race (p = 0.001) and recovery periods (p = 0.002) when compared to the baseline, while leptin decreased significantly during the race (p < 0.0001) and returned to baseline levels during the recovery period. Intra-individual variability was substantially lower than inter-individual variability for both hormones (leptin 34.1 vs. 53.5%, adiponectin 19% vs. 37.2%). With regards to exercise, this study demonstrated that with sufficient, sustained energy expenditure, leptin concentrations can decrease within the first 24 hours. Under the investigated conditions there also appears to be an optimal leptin concentration which ensures stable energy homeostasis, as there was no significant decrease over the subsequent race days. In healthy endurance athletes the recovery of leptin takes 48-72 hours and may even show a supercompensation-like effect. For adiponectin, significant increases were observed within 5 days of commencing racing, with these elevated values failing to return to baseline levels after 3 days of recovery. Additionally, when using leptin and adiponectin to monitor training loads, establishing individual threshold values improves their sensitivity.     

Morphogenetic potential of different sources of explants for efficient in vitro regeneration of Genipa sp.

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Genipa americana L. is a species with high economic potential with considerable promise in the fruit, medicinal and agroindustrial fields. The in...