Peter Todd, a behavioral psychologist at Indiana University, suspects the difference between the sexes boils down to the basic risk-versus-reward systems that have been part of our biological wiring for thousands of years. For women, Todd explains, the priorities are to protect one’s reproductive role and to care for offspring, which outweighs any inclination to attract potential mates by exhibiting bold behavior.

But for men, Todd says, the risk of getting struck by lightning could be outweighed by the reward of proving to other men—and potential female mates—that they’re not afraid of getting struck by lightning. This is particularly true for young men, who have the most to gain by impressing others, thereby raising their status as attractive, daring, healthy mates in the dating pool. And then, zap!

Link

Image: flickr user Kevin Miller, used under Creative Commons license.

This is fantastic: Google Book Search has full copies of Popular Science magazine, dating back to 1872, available for you to read online.

The very first issue, May to October 1872, covers such topics as The Study of Sociology (by Herbert Spencer, no less – he coined the term "survival of the fittest"), The Recent Eclipse of the Sun, Science and Immortality, and so on.

Link – Thanks Philipp Lenssen!