Wooooooooh. It’s Halloween!

Over at AP Seth Borenstein reveals that scientists now know more than ever before about “what’s going on inside our brains when a spook jumps out and scares us”. Borenstein also has another piece on David Zald, professor at Vanderbilt University, who every year “turns his house in Nashville, Tenn., into a Halloween fear lab”. Zald previously featured on the Great Beyond for his work on why fear gets noticed faster than other emotions (along with his not very scary actually music).

Over at the Technician online Emily Kiser has another piece on “The science of fear”. Inside Higher Ed reviews new book Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses. They better add those nice people at Idaho State University who have set up a haunted laboratory for students with children to celebrate Halloween “the physics style way” (KPVI).

Wired has some terrifyingly impressive geek jack-o’-lanterns while NBC5 has a slightly bizarre video item about a science store selling robotic rats and glow in the dark worms. “And also here is dad shopping for that moveable lawn ornament that he will use to scare his son’s friends right out of their bodies!”

Finally, to wrap up these terrifying proceedings, here’s one you may have missed from a few days ago: film director David Lynch has teamed up with pop star Donovan to teach transcendental meditation in British schools.

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