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Jun 04, 2008

Marked-up birds become sexier, exude testosterone (AP)

This 2005 handout photo provided by Marie Reed shows a New Jersey barn swallows being artificially colored. A little strategically placed makeup not only can turn the wimpiest of males into a chick magnet, but it can make them amp up that most male of essences, testosterone, at least in barn swallows. Scientists used a $5.99 marker to darken the chest feathers of male New Jersey barn swallows - which was previously shown to be more attractive to females - and found that not only do the artificially darkened males mate more, but it triggered physical changes to their body chemistry. (AP Photo/Marie Reed)AP - A little strategically placed makeup quickly turns the wimpiest of male barn swallows into chick magnets, amping up their testosterone and even trimming their weight, new research shows.



Posted by Suzanna on Jun 04, 2008 | Permalink