There's a good article in the Economist on that hot topic, the difference between male and female brains.

On a completely different note, a new report has come out affirming the health dangers of social isolation. The analysis of US census and death certificate data found that those who had been widowed were nearly 40% more likely than married people to die during the 8 year period studied, while those who had been divorced or separated were 27% more likely to die. But those who had never been married were the most likely of all (58% more likely). These figures are after obvious factors such as age and health had been taken into account. While it's long been thought that the health benefits of marriage (which are greater for men) reflect a reduction in risky behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, not exercising, eating poorly, the difference in these matters was apparently not that great. The researchers suggest social connectedness is the answer.

And there's a fascinating study going on at the Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus into the effect of environment on social interaction. The project involves 24 of the 152 housing units on the campus. Groups of 6 houses have been given different landscaping styles, and the effects of these on social behavior is being monitored. The results so far indicate that there is indeed on impact.