A British journal has published a study saying that the male sex drive is to blame for war and world conflict. In the past, the male instinct to be aggressive towards outsiders helped them gain access to more mates. However, writes Telegraph science correspondent Nick Collins, “in modern terms this can translate to large scale wars.”

Women, conversely, angle for peaceful solutions in order to protect their offspring.

The study was published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B and claims that male aggression toward outsiders has been pervasive in all cultures throughout history and that their “tribal” attitude of using aggressions as a means to access more reproductive opportunities isn’t much different from chimpanzees. Collins also cites research from an earlier Californian study that aggression – and bravery – were favored by natural selection since the most aggressive groups of our ancestors would come out on top in battles for mates and land.

Unfortunately, the British study says hostile responses “might not be functional in modern times and are often counterproductive.”

Bottom line: it’s not our imagination that missiles look like giant penises – or that we really need to elect more women to high office.