In 2008, Brad Van Voorhis, head of the fertility clinic at the University of Iowa, decided he wanted to measure how well children conceived through in vitro fertilization do on intelligence tests, hoping to dispel lingering concerns about their cognitive abilities. So he and his team compared the standardized-test scores of 463 IVF kids ages 8 to 17 against the scores of other kids in their classes. They found that the IVF kids scored better overall and in every category of test—reading, math, and language skills. And they found that the older the mother, the better the kid performed.

Van Voorhis guesses that the children of older mothers outperform their peers because the mothers, who’ve waited so long to have them, are more engaged. It’s a recipe for success: “Fewer kids at home, more attention to the kids they do have, and more money to devote to their education.” Other studies corroborate these findings. In research published in the journal Fertility and Sterility in 2007, Richard Paulson, head of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, found that mothers in their fifties reported less parental stress than those in their thirties and forties, the same level of mental functioning, and the same perception of fatigue. The fiftysomething women in his small national sample, incidentally, were also less likely than their counterparts to employ a nanny. They are more checked in.

Link -via The Frisky

(Image credit: Wayne Lawrence/Institute for Artist Management)

Here’s a thought that really hits home. A Tweet from @lunchyprices was turned into a Twaggie by illustrator Jeff Naslund. Scrolling down these things makes me feel older by the millimeter. Link

This remarkable finding was made by researchers at UCLA. They found that the DNA contained in a person’s saliva undergoes changes as a person gets older. One of the building blocks of DNA experiences a process known as methylation, which alters its appearance over time and can be used to estimate precisely how old a person is.

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I wonder what this Twaggie (based on a Tweet by @DanaJGould) is insinuating. I am older than I’ve ever been and I also own more cats than I ever have before. Illustration by Sam Spratt. Link

Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal has us pegged. A series of comics details how celebrations differ by age and family composition. Since I am always 20 years behind, I fit exactly in the “30-somethings with kids” category, which is “pretty damn awesome”. Link -via Digg

Your business knowledge will be tested in today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental floss. You’ll be given the names of two companies at a time, and you decide which is older. I scored 73%, or 8 of 11, because I am as old as some of the companies listed. Link

Wired has a gallery of twelve trees from all over the world that have outlived everything around them. The oldest started life at least 80,000 years ago, but may be much older! The tree shown is the Llangernyw Yew in Wales, which is only three to four thousand years old, but is one of the prettiest trees in the collection. Link

Previously at Neatorama: 10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World

You can even submit your picture to find out how old people think you are.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by larryfire.