Articulatory Loop

Unfortunately, this isn't going to be one of those posts. My life is not that interesting.

A new study from Cardiff University examines scent peptides released by males which boost (or bust) their attractiveness to females. That this happens isn't news, but identifying the specific molecules involved, rather than just calling them mysterious pheromones, is a step.

A Cornell University professor has written a new book, in which he claims that (a) teenagers don't link their sexuality to their identity, and that (b) gay adolescents will, in the near future, stop needing or wanting to identify themselves as 'gay.'

I haven't read the book, but for any number of reasons these hypotheses strike me as either stunningly naive, or outright daft. First off, people often say they've 'experimented' (stupid term...where can I read their lab reports?) with homosexuality, but don't consider themselves gay because they're not ready to take that step - this is especially common in young people. Secondly, teenagers don't generally talk about their "identities" the way academics and political activists do - they're too busy being teased or bullied or stuffing nerds into lockers. Also, is anyone else bothered by an obviously-older-than-thirty professor being called an "expert on teenage sexuality?" Sounds dirty to me, or at least of dubious legality.