Australian researchers seem to have just disproved a long held assumption about men and their testosterone levels. In the past, it was widely thought that these levels dropped inexorably with age, leading to an inevitable lowering of the sex drive. But the latest findings suggest this only happens in men whose general health is getting worse.

The fact that this lowering of the libido is so widespread implies something about society. There must be a lot of older blokes out there whose health is declining for various reasons. Of course men are notorious for not looking after themselves. And they do seem to get worse in this regard as the years wear on. But it can't just be that.

Perhaps it is related to men's career progression. They do tend to do less physical work the older they get. That is understandable, since some jobs are done far better by fit young blokes. But this means that they often end up in office jobs working quite long hours. These hours get longer, and more stressful if they are climbing up the career ladder, too. Subsequently they end up stressed out, sedentary and overweight, with no time to exercise. No wonder their health deteriorates!

Mick Hucknall has apologized to the countless women he slept with at the height of his fame. This is quite a remarkable thing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's odd that any bloke would feel guilty about it - particularly one who is a performer. They are more egocentric than most people, after all.

And secondly, it's quite amazing that he managed to actually do what he now feels so ashamed of. He's hardly handsome. But then it just goes to show the power of celebrity. And he's certainly a talented singer with a very distinctive voice. Clearly a lot of young women found these qualities powerfully attractive.

It would be nice to think that sex and violence were two completely separate drives. But the sad fact is that they are often linked together. The obvious example is in the case of rape. Then there is the fact that so many serial killers are driven by bizarre sexual fantasies as much as by anything else.

Of course the vast majority of people aren't sex criminals. Still, lots of couples do indulge in fantasies that involve violence. Most of the time they don't go any further with them. But sometimes they act them out, which seems to have happened in a crime committed early this year in Melbourne. The alleged perpetrator of a knifing in Fitzroy said that planning the attack on his lover's husband had improved his sex life with the woman.

Financial gain also appears to have been a motive in this case. But it seems the sexual thrill the lovers were getting from their fantasies had a lot to do with the crime ultimately being committed. It's not just love that can make people do crazy and destructive things. Sex can too!