Do you ever wonder if a good scare on Halloween is enough to send a pregnant woman into labor? Read on to find out why scientists think women may be able to control when they give birth around particular holidays, including Halloween!

Week of October 11

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New information suggests that Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing does more harm than good. For men living with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, this is disturbing news.

Hearing bilingual: How babies sort out language
By analyzing neurological activity as babies hear language, and comparing it to childhood responses to the same words, researchers explain how the early brain listens to language.

Envy may bear fruit, but it also has an aftertaste
Thanks to the work of researchers at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth and the University of Texas at Austin, we now know more about envy. Can it make you smarter? Find out here.

Week of October 18

Chimp to human to history books: The path of AIDS
In his book, The Origins of AIDS, Dr. Jacques Pepin, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, describes the often circuitous path the virus took during its earliest years.

Two cancer studies find bacterial clue in colon
Research by Dr. Robert Holt, a genomics researcher in British Columbia, Canada, shows that colon cancer may be caused and advanced by bacterial infection.

On teamwork at least, chimps and children vary
Researchers find that cooperation is more appealing to children than to chimpanzees. Learn more about the study, which was conducted by biologists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Yoga can manage pain
Studies show that yoga is one of the most common alternative therapies for the relief of chronic pain. Read about the results of recent clinical trials, and why researchers do not feel they have reached any definitive conclusions.

Clarity on cancer and Barrett’s Esophagus
People with Barrett’s Esophagus, a complication of acid reflux disease, may have a higher risk of developing cancer. Danish research data that suggests .12 percent of patients with Barrett’s Esophagus develop esophageal cancer.

Week of October 25

From marine ecology to drug discovery
Read this report from Mark Hay, biology professor at Georgia Tech, who is investigating coral-seaweed competition in the coral reefs of Fiji.

Mammogram’s role as savior is tested
Medical experts say it’s time to set the record straight on mammography screening for breast cancer. Learn about the reasons doctors say that mammograms do not necessarily prevent breast cancer.

Troubles with heart are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV)
Read about a new study that suggests HPV may be linked to cardiovascular disease in women.

Holidays can affect when expectant mothers deliver
In a study published this month, Yale researchers find a 5.3 percent dip in births on Halloween, as well as a 16.9 percent decrease in Caesarean births. Learn more about new research that suggests women may be able to control the timing of unscheduled births around holidays.