I’ve just finished grading the comprehensive final exam for my human physiology class, and I noticed a few very consistent things. There were a couple of questions that virtually everyone got right.

• They all knew exactly what causes a hangover (alcohol inhibits ADH, which leads to hypotonic urine and dehydration).
• They all knew exactly when a woman was maximally fertile (mid-cycle, within a few days of ovulation).

College students. They know what’s important.

There was also a bit of a correlation in the answers to one slightly complicated question on hormonal regulation during the menstrual cycle. Most of the women in the class nailed it, while many of the men fumbled about and got large parts wrong. I don’t want to hear any complaints that it was unfair to men, though: I warned everyone that this was a category of question I’d ask, and I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect men to understand female reproductive cycles.