30 to Midnight

NYC Ranks in Top 10 Best Cities For Under-35ers

From 10 Great Cities For Young Adults (Under 35, they say, which does seem high for "young" huh? And includes more than Gen Y. And somehow Hoboken is in NYC) By Caitlin Dewey, Kiplinger.com

Metro population: 19,069,796 (includes Long Island and Northern New Jersey)
Cost-of-living index: 218 (Manhattan), 179 (Brooklyn), 158 (Queens)
Median monthly rent: $1,025 (average is $819) Hmm.
Average annual wage: $50,784
Unemployment rate: 9.4%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 21.9%

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

We have a number of questions about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which we've seen people reading on the subway, on airplanes, on beaches, and in bars and restaurants. Namely: how did this book become so popular? And: Why is it not called The Girl With The Wasp Tattoo?

Women Who Drink Gain Less Weight

Sometimes we hear Bad News, sometimes we hear Good News:

New research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity.

The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 39 or older who, at the start of the study, fell into the “normal weight” category based on their body mass index. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.

Read Tara Parker-Pope's entire NYTimes story by clicking the Good News link above.

Women Lose 90-percent Of Their Eggs By Age 30

Here's a 30toMidnight public service message from The Washington Post: A study from the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh University, published last month by PLoS ONE, tracked the human ovarian reserve -- or a woman's potential number of eggs -- from conception through menopause. Using a mathematical model and data from 325 women, the researchers found that the average woman is born with around 300,000 eggs and steadily loses them as she ages, with just 12 percent of those eggs remaining at the age of 30, and only 3 percent left by 40.

Read Carolyn Butler's entire story: Ovaries have not adjusted to many women's decision to delay having children