Pigspittle, Ohio

Finnegan is a momma’s boy, Kobe is manipulative, Bennie is a goofball, and Babu is loving but oh so needy. And according to researchers, I’m not entirely off-base in ascribing human qualities to our four adorable pets. As reported in the June 18th issue of Newsweek International, a variety of studies have shown animals to exhibit personality traits. For example, “researchers in the North Carolina State University genetics department found some flies to be consistently more aggressive than others—they made more threats and dished out more physical abuse, going so far as to kick and push others (yes, flies can kick).” [Hence, the reappearance of our Superfly image with this story.] Studies in animal behavior are already aiding in drug research for humans—because, after all, it’s all about us. “By putting animals with specific personalities (aggressive or passive, for example) into specific situations (isolation or a social setting) and testing them, researchers could help determine how personality traits influence responses to disease and medications.” Ultimately, scientists may be able to use animals to understand how genes and environment influence personality.

Not exactly Atlantis, but… A small farm town in Australia that was flooded in 1957 to create a hydro-electricity project has reemerged after a drought. Remains of tractors, buildings, bottles, farm machinery, and other items have been uncovered as the water recedes and the dam drains. The London Telegraph offers a pictorial essay—click on the “In Pictures” link—of the lost town of Old Adaminaby.

Sweet Dreams. Men are more likely to dream about sex in public places and with multiple partners than women, according to researchers at the University of Montreal. The study, presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies’ Sleep 2007 conference in Minneapolis this past week, is the first to look at sexual content in dreams in more than 40 years.

WebMD, reporting on the study, writes that “for men and women alike, sexual dreams accounted for 8% of all reported dreams.”

“Men’s sexual dreams were more likely to take place in public or unknown settings, to have the dreamer initiate sexual contact, and to involve unknown characters or multiple partners,” wrote Antonio Zadra, PhD, who conducted and authored the study, adding that “gender differences in the content of everyday sexual dreams may reflect people’s waking needs, experiences, attitudes, and concerns with respect to sexuality.”

Have insomnia? Here’s something else to keep you up at night. UPI reports that insomniacs pay more in health care and cost more to their employers than those who have no problems sleeping. “Insomnia is associated with a substantial cost of illness, which can be a large financial liability to employers,” Richard Brook, director of business development for the JestaRx Group of Newfoundland, N.J., told UPI at the Sleep 2007 conference.

According to research by the JestaRx Group, the “average cost of health benefits for employees with insomnia is $6,240 compared with an annual cost of $3,015 for employees who do not have the sleep disorder.“

UPI also notes that a second study presented at the conference, by Kathleen Foley, a researcher for Thomson Medstat in Ann Arbor, Mich., “found that patients with insomnia spend about $1,000 a year in out-of-pocket healthcare charges while patients who don’t have the sleep disorder spend about $448 a year.”

Unadjusted health costs paid for insomnia patients were more than three times higher—$8,978 as opposed to $2,790 for employees who did not have trouble getting to sleep, according to UPI’s reporting. [via Science Daily]