Two for the road

1. A Tufts University scientist studying mating and reproduction found that females in a study group were very picky. According to a New York Times write-up, the females would "start dialogues with up to 10 males in a single evening and can keep several conversations going at once. But a female mates with only one male, typically the one she has responded to the most." The researcher was studying fireflies.

2. The Prime Minister of Italy and NaturalBlog fav Silvio Berlusconi is defending himself against charges that he paid prostitutes to attend his parties. The 72-year-old Berlusconi said the suggestion is laughable because he's never paid for sex. "I never understood where the satisfaction is when you're missing the pleasure of conquest," he said.