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'Older Fathers Have Geekier Sons' (bbc.com)
An anonymous reader shares a BBC article: Men who delay starting a family are more likely to have "geekier" sons, a study suggests. They were brighter, more focused and less bothered about fitting in -- according to the "Geek Index" devised by King's College London. The mother's age had no impact, and daughters seemed to be immune. One scientist said a trend for delayed parenthood might mean we were heading towards a "society of geniuses" able to solve the world's problems. The findings are rare good news in the science of delayed fatherhood. Repeated studies have shown that older sperm is more prone to genetic errors and children are more likely to develop autism and schizophrenia.
Had my only child, a male child, at the age of 35. He is now 11 and is very much Dad's science geek.
Couldn't be prouder.
tired so the kids have to get smarter and play with themselves.
The older you are when you have kids, the more you are earning, the more disposable income you (and your parents or in-laws) can spend on quality toys and activities, instead of just trying to keep the heat on and food on the table. Also you're probably more educated, so there's that.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
"Geekier dads could be taking longer to start a family and pass on geeky traits to their children"
When do smart dads have kids? Later, when they're ready. When do autistic dads have kids? Later, when their successes outweigh their drawbacks, and they've learned to compensate. What sort of kids do dads have when they reproduce later? Smart. Autistic. Like their dads. Cuz genetics. Which is not to say that this is the explanation. It's just to say that the 'conclusions' drawn by this study (at least as summarized) are ... let's say speculative at best.
the kids have to get smarter and play with themselves.
That would explain why they need glasses, which places them higher on the "geek index".
Your sarcasm is amusing...but the take away on the sperm front would probably be that you can should keep it as healthy as you can.
We know that activities like smoking damages the quantity and quality of sperm. We also know that eating healthily and being physically active have wide ranging benefits including having a positive effect on sperm.
My take away is that men should take care of themselves so their sperm is still very good quality at 35 and at the same time they have the financial, emotional and intellectual basis to become not only caring and loving but also effective fathers.
Also, the likelihood of autism, schizophrenia and down syndrome in babies of older healthy parents is greatly over played. If memory serves a couple aged forty are three times as likely to have a child with down syndrome! - sounds like a huge risk...until you see figures like 1 in 350 is your base chance and that goes to 1 in 100 at 40. (Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/dise... )
So if you are a young man or woman and you drink or you smoke, or you don't sleep, or you eat junk all the time, you dont exercise or even dabble in drugs - think about it.
It never ceases to amaze me how a young guy can spend hours fixing and polishing his car or a young woman puts in so much effort into her looks and dress but their body?! it suffers abuses to no end. Your body is your only vehicle, treat it well and it will carry you.
A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.