The latest in a series of studies by English autism researcher Simon Baron-Cohen shows thattestosterone levels to which fetuses are exposed in the wombs have profound effects on their social development after birth. At one year, those with higher fetal testosterone had a smaller vocabulary and made less eye contact. At age four, there continues to be a widening gap between the social skill and interest levels of those who had been exposed to high and normal testosterone levels in the womb. Baron-Cohen thinks that the inverse relationship between testosterone and social competence is counterbalanced by a benefit to pattern recognition skills. He thinks autism might be “the extreme form of the male brain.” — New Scientist