Sci@Night

…she’s probably ovulating. Well, so claims this article in yesterday’s Guardian.

Women are more likely to dress to impress when they are at their most fertile, according to psychologists. A study of female university students found they eschewed drab clothing for a more flamboyant style when they were ovulating, suggesting hormonal changes had an unconscious effect on their behaviour.

Photographs of the women revealed they more frequently wore jewellery as well as trendy and more revealing clothes at the most fertile phase of their monthly cycle. “They tend to put on skirts instead of pants, show more skin and generally dress more fashionably,” said Martie Haselton, the University of California Los Angeles researcher who led the study.

While hormonal changes affecting behaviour is nothing new (PMS anyone?), humans had, previously, been a thought a species that hides its fertility:

In the animal kingdom, displays of fertility abound. Some female crabs secrete powerful sex pheromones into the water to attract males, while female elephants, which may be fertile for less than a week every five years, let out a low-pitched bellow to attract nearby males. But overt signs of human ovulation have proved notoriously difficult to detect.

Apologies for the leave of absence. All is well, and I’m glad to welcome you back with this image of Saturn from Riding with Robots:

Cassini’s infrared imager can see heat rising from deep within the planet, silhouetting clouds against the glowing interior. This image serves as a reminder that planets are not mere lumps of rock or gas, but resemble living things, pulsing with energy and changing with time.