There seems a need for some clarification of terms by Dr Cantor. There may be some credible neurological basis for a sexual interest in extremely young children, but a purely neurological basis cannot explain the numerous societies where what we (or the Canadians) would today regard as criminal and pathological paedophilia either is now the norm or has been the norm in the past. Juliet Capulet was only approaching her 13th birthday, remember.

ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

A science column should be more in touch with proper research principles. Just because things are correlated, does not mean that one causes the other. More people using crutches have broken legs but we don't conclude that crutches cause broken legs. In Dr. Cantor's study, the conlusion is that, because pedophiles have lower white matter (myelinated brain fibers/nerves) in two brain fibre bundles, the lower white matter must have caused the pedophilia. We know that muscles increase with exercise and deteriorate without activity and we know that areas of the brain enlarge and deteriorate with increased and decreased activity. In Dr. Cantor's study (which I have in front of me) it is just as possible that becoming more involved in pedophilia (and less involved in other things, whether sexual or not) could cause the decrease in the brain fibres, rather than the reverse. Correlation does not show causation.

Bob, Battlefords, Canada

I'd have to agree... it does sound a bit rubbish... especially the bit about lower IQs... hmmmm.... I'll just throw this one out there, but don't you think, Dr. Cantor, that the stupid ones are more likely to be caught?! Maybe not the short ones though, cause they're harder to spot... lol

Iain, Sarnia, Ontario

What did everybody expect? If the brain is the machine which drives thinking and behaviour, of course there will be differences in the brains of paedophiles! Differences in knowledge, personality and behaviour will not be evident in any other organ than the brain (despite the rumours of where men's brains actually lie)!

Gerard, London , UK

Never heard such rubbish in all my life!!

"127 subjects, half of whom had been convicted for paedophile offences"........ and I would just love to know if 'Dr' Cantor knew who of this group were the sex offenders when he conducted his research.

"Paedophiles, he said, were three times more likely to be left-handed, and also on average 2cm shorter than other people."
...... walk on all fours and have more body hair than average:-)

"They tended to have lower IQs and low educational achievements".... oh really? Well that goes against the reality of UK sex offenders in prison which number many highly intelligent professionals and businessmen. (Teachers, doctors, ) And people who work with or are tracing sex offenders always seem to be describing them as 'intelligent, devious and cunning.

and people with normal sexual tastes... er which is what? Teenagers, homosexuality, senior citizens, beasiality?? Mans/womens sexual tastes are many and varied.

Perhaps none of us are normal???

Who cares, Osaka, Japan