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Why do women have to go through menopause?is it because having a baby over age 50 would be likely to kill them? Or maybe it’s because, next to their mothers, what kids REALLY need are GRANDMOTHERS. Also, we’ve discovered a sneaky way to tell if a woman is fertile.

In New Scientist, Colin Barras reports on a study of lap dancers that shows that men give bigger tips to lap dancers who are ovulating, because they send out subtle signals, revealing when they’re fertile.
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If you notice that your mood, energy level and motivation go way down around this time of year, only to return to normal in April, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What can you do about this?

Dr. Angelos Halaris says, “This condition, characterized by depression, exhaustion and lack of interest in people and regular activities, interferes with a person’s outlook on life and ability to function properly.
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Halloween itself is wearing a mask, because it’s actually an ancient year-end spiritual ritual in disguise.

Sociologist Charles Emmons says, “Halloween has gone through two major transformations since its beginning at least 3,000 years ago as an ancient European folk festival to a Christian folk festival and now a modern, pop culture holiday.” Prior to changes in our modern calendar, Halloween took place at the end of the year in conjunction with the winter solstice. In the evening, people would light bonfires and set out food to welcome back the spirits of the beloved dead and dress up as ghosts and goblins to scare away unwanted spirits.
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Soils may dictate the array of fall colors as much as the kinds of trees planted in them. When they moved sweetgum and red maple trees from one type of soil to another, researchers in North Carolina discovered that in places where the soil was relatively low in nitrogen and other essential elements, trees produced more red pigments, almost as if they were shouting “Help!”
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