Velez, an Army private, had recently returned from Iraq, where she disarmed bombs. She had served for three years, recently reenlisted for another three, and wanted to become a psychologist to help other soldiers deal with the stress of military life. Her friend Sasha Ramos says she respected the position of Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter. "He's somebody she would have saluted," Ramos said. "It's degrading to all soldiers that he did something like that." • Vandy Beth Glenn has filed a federal lawsuit to get her job at the Georgia General Assembly back after she was fired for being transgender. She had been working as Glenn Morrison and living as Vandy Beth, but she and her supervisor agreed she would start dressing as a woman on Halloween 2006. But she was fired by Georgia Legislative Counsel Sewell Brumby, who said in a deposition, "It makes me think about things I don't like to think about, particularly at work … I think it's unsettling to think of someone dressed in women's clothing with male sexual organs inside that clothing." • According to the American Psychological Association's annual stress survey released earlier this week, women are more likely than men to say they lack the willpower to make lifestyle changes to improve their health. But, Helen Coons, director of the Women's Mental Health Center in Philadelphia, says "willpower" is a misleading term because women may really mean they're too exhausted to make changes and think of themselves as being "selfish" if they put their needs ahead of others'. • A survey of 1,212 doctors published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that many doctors do unnecessary pap smears, adding to heath care costs. Doctors were asked what screening they'd recommend in various situations and most said they'd give a pap smear to a 35-year-old woman with no history of cervical cancer whose cervix had been removed, which is inconsistent with guidelines from several medical associations. • Though many men think women are mainly interested in color when buying a car, a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs for CarMax found 33% of women say price is the most important factor, followed by reliability and fuel efficiency. • Canadian researchers compared 6-year-old children who were breast-fed for 6 months with those who were breast-fed for only three months and found that there were no differences in intelligence, behavior, or blood pressure. While longer breast-feeding gave the children an immunity boost as infants, the researchers say the advantages of breastfeeding do not include lower risks of obesity, asthma, allergy, or dental problems in the long term. • Elizabeth Lambert, the NCAA women's soccer player whose unsportswomanlike behavior was featured on SportsCenter last night has been suspended indefinitely from the University of New Mexico's team. "Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship," said her coach, Kit Vela. • A prosecution source in the Amanda Knox trial says her DNA is on the handle of a knife used to kill Meredith Kercher, but the defense still insists there was DNA tampering at the scene of the crime and that the kitchen knife doesn't match Kercher's wounds. Closing arguments in the case begin in two weeks. • Mary Karr, who just published her memoir Lit, says she developed her storytelling ability as a child. She and her mother would play a game when they were driving or her mom was hungover. "Tell me a story she liked to say, meaning charm me - my life in this Texas suckhole is duller than a rubber knife. Amaze me," says Karr. • "Presidents hate the press," says White House reporter Helen Thomas. "They hate me most of the time. ... Asking questions about Watergate, about Monica Lewinsky, they're questions that will hurt and yet you can't avoid them. If you do avoid them, it shows you don't have guts." •

• New data shows that almost half of the whales harvested last summer in the Antarctic by Japan were pregnant, and several were lactating. The report also contained information on the whale fetuses, which were dismembered for "genetic studies." • In other whaling news, a report released at the International Whaling Commission reveals that countries could make more money if they switched from whale hunting to whale watching, but the delegate from Iceland says he would rather see the two industries grow together. • A new study from the Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland indicates that the placenta of healthy newborns may be a viable source for harvesting stem cells, which can be used to treat chronic blood-related disorders. • A religious nurse from the UK recently quit her job after hospital officials asked her to stop wearing her crucifix, which they said "could harbor infection." "I've always worn my cross and I've always been a Christian. It is important to me. I've worked here for 15 months and if it was an issue, why didn't they let me know in the interview?" she said. • Joseph Brooks, the Oscar-winning director and songwriter behind "You Light Up My Life," has been charged with rape and sexual assault. He has been accused of luring young actresses auditioning for roles back to his home where he proceeded to force himself on them. • A recent doctoral dissertation from Sweden has found that a good partner relationship can provide a buffer for work-related stress. • One of Banksy's famous murals was defaced by paintballers last night in an "attack" that left residents of Bristol "disappointed" and annoyed. • Presumably reacting to the advice of, like, everyone, the "Craigslist killer's" ex-fiancee is now "planning a life without him," and has said, "it would be quite a long period of time, if ever, before she saw him again." • The International Gymnastics Federation is now investigating whether it should cancel the results of women's gymnastics events in Sydney due to the possibility that two Chinese gymnasts were underage. • In Ontario, women, and especially poor women, are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions than men. A majority of Ontario residents have at least one chronic condition. • Researchers report that women with anorexia have lower levels of a brain protein called BDNF, which is associated with poor self-image, anxiety, and depression. • French winemakers attended a "speed-dating" event in which they try to impress US wine writers. Sample pickup line: "You can drink the sunshine." • Kimberley Vlaminck now admits that she asked for all 56 of the stars tattooed on her face, and initially said she had asked for only three because her dad was mad at her. • A group of Mormons called the Committee for Reconciliation is asking the Mormon Church to reconsider its ban on gay marriage. One member says, "I know that there are hundreds, thousands of families sitting in Mormon congregations that have a gay kid or brother or sister, and they are being torn apart inside." • Bear Grylls, the badass host of Man vs. Wild, served as inspiration for a nine-year-old boy who found himself stranded in the Utah forest. Grayson Wynne tore up his yellow raincoat and left pieces tied to trees as clues to his location, followed a creek to safety, and used the remains of his slicker to wave at a helicopter for help. •

Previous research has shown that the way the brain and the body adapt to stress hugely influences both physical and mental health. The World Health Organization predicts that in 20 years, stress will be the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. This is bad news for everyone, but it seems that it will be much worse for men, who may be genetically crippled in how they cope under stress. Scientists believe that stress levels are predetermined by our genes by as much as 62%, yet until now there had been little research on genetics as a determinant of stress.

Researchers conducted a social-stress test on students from the Hebrew University, during which participants underwent a fake job interview and a mental arithmetic test. After spending five minutes trying to convince a panel of judges to hire them, students were then asked to count backwards out loud from 1,687 by multiples of 13. If they made a mistake, they were asked to start the task again. Researchers took samples of their saliva during the process to measure levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol. They also took mouthwash samples, which were genotyped for the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene. Animal studies have shown that BDNF expression is reduced in chronic stress and restored by antidepressant treatment.

The BDNF gene is characterized by a variant that codes for either the valine (Val) or methionine (Met) amino acids. Possible combinations of the amino acids are Val/Val or Val/Met. Researchers found that among the participants, the Val/Met carriers had had nearly equal cortisol levels, regardless of gender. However, men with Val/Val variant were found to have much high cortisol levels than men with Val/Met, while women with Val/Val had lower levels. They concluded that Val/Val works opposite ways in men and women, raising stress levels for men and lowering it for women.

Fortunately for us ladies, the Val/Val variant is the much more common of the two. Women with Val/Val are thus put at an advantage, while men with the same genetic coding are at a higher risk for stress-related illnesses. The Hebrew University researchers believe that their study illustrates the significance of investigating both genetic causes and situational factors for psycho-neurological illnesses like depression.

All this aside, surely you have plenty of anecdotal evidence of men losing their minds when stressed while women remained calm?

How Men And Women Cope Differently With Stress Traced To Genetic Differences [ScienceDaily]
Women are better stress managers: study [Times of India]

[Image via Stacey Harrison's Flickr]

A study has found that pregnant women in their first trimester who dealt with a traumatic event like death or serious illness of a relative had a 67% greater risk of having a schizophrenic child. So on top of being worried about everything else — caffeine, fish, alcohol — knocked-up women need to worry about...worrying.

Scientists agree that exercise and optimism are good for you. Wargo notes that Nietzsche (and Kanye West) are full of shit: "[The] 'whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger,' just plain isn't true," he writes. "Stressors that don't kill you in the short run may yet shorten your life or drastically lessen its quality." Stressy stress stress stress, effing hell. Maybe it would be less stressful if we didn't have to hear about how bad stress is.

Understanding The Have-Knots [Observer]
Stop Worrying About Worrying [Utne Reader]
Anxiety for Two [Newsweek]

• A new study says that women are more stressed than men. We really don't have time to be reading and writing about studies like this because we totally have a big Powerpoint presentation to get and we are, like, about to pull our hair okay? Gawd! [Feminist.org]
  
• Dressing like a hooker for Halloween isn't just for adult women like us - now your kids can get in on the action. Feministing points out a costume website where there's a "Major Flirt" costume (filed under the "Occupation" category) for little girl. It's never too early to be a cock tease! [Feministing]
  
• Breast cancer survivors are among a huge percentage of women who start their own business, most of which are focused on helping fellow patients in need. [NY Times]

• Marie Curie's daughter, journalist Eve Curie Labouisse, has died at the age of 102. [NY Times]
• There's some controversy surrounding Oprah's recent show where she revealed she has hyperthyroidism. Apparently the expert she had on the show to discuss the condition offered up a bunch of wellness suggestions but never actually told women who thought they might have it to go see, you know, a doctor. Whatever. Why go see a shrink when you can just watch Dr. Phil? [Salon]
• Double suck. Your obesity risk increases after menopause. [Science Daily]
• All-girls boarding schools are on the decline in the UK, but administrators and students are still gung ho for single sex education. Lesbians! Kidding. Sorta. [The Independent]

• Our favorite tennis-playing Williams sister, Serena, opened a can of major whupass at Wimbledon earlier today, despite a strained calf muscle. She'll go after Justine Henin in the quarterfinals next. [SportsIllustrated]
  
• Forget Alli. Scientists may have found a natural chemical — "liposuction in a bottle!" — that prevents the formation of fat. [ABCNews]
  
• This is just the news we needed to hear: It's shared housework, not kids, that help makes a relationship work. [DailyMail]
  
• Trying not to get pregnant? Good for you! Just one tip: You'll increase your changes of remaining happily barren if you really stress yourself out. [BBC]

• Breastfeeding their children may make some women feel superior, but it's no guarantee that their kids won't grow up fat and unhappy. [Yahoo]
• Women are less likely than men to get a good night's sleep, suffer moodswings. Tell us something we don't know already? [DailyMail]