Scientific geniuses have something in common with criminals - both groups do their best work early on. And neither should marry if they want a long and illustrious career.
Satoshi Kanazawa of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand used biographies of prominent scientists to pinpoint when they made their most important discovery. He found that 65 per cent of the mostly male scientists made their biggest discovery before their mid-30s - a productivity curve that mirrors that of male criminals. In men, criminal behaviour peaks in late adolescence and early adulthood and rapidly declines thereafter (
Kanazawa argues that these diverse achievements - from the discovery of the double helix to robbing a bank - are all just a display for the ladies, stemming from a common competitive drive that evolved to help young males attract mates. "They do whatever they ...
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