Giving Science the Finger

From News24.com :

An unusually long index finger is an indication of male superiority at rational scientific thought and reasoning, according to a team of British scientists, all of whose first digits presumably meet the qualifications.

Their findings showed that male scientists are good at research because they have higher than average levels of the female hormone oestrogen which aids analytical skills.

The survey, conducted at the University of Bath, found that male scientists tended to have longer index fingers than other men, showing high levels of oestrogen present in their bodies.

Men had levels of oestrogen 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 oestrogen, 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 oestrogen and testosterone.