Born to be wild

Hanging out with that Jane Goodall tramp again? Researchers who have measured well-being in great apes, such as chimps and orangutans, say that middle-aged simians often experience a midlife crisis, much like some humans do, displaying negative moods, a lack of pleasure in social situations and little success in achieving goals.

Other signs of midlife crisis in apes: Grooming and eating bugs off younger, sexier apes; trading in the family swinging vine for a convertible vine; and running off with the human researcher who was so kind to ask about your well-being.

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Going rogue: Astronomers have found a Jupiter-sized planet that is drifting alone and not orbiting a star.

Typically, the solitary planets are about 45 billion years old, can be moody and flirt with planets half their age.

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Ding Dong, the Twinkie isn't dead: A judge has ordered Hostess and its bakers union into mediation to attempt to resolve its contract impasse, ruling that the company had acted too quickly to go out of business and liquidate its assets. A deal could save the company, its jobs and keep the Twinkies coming (Page A6).

If so, and you've stockpiled cases of snake cakes to make a killing on eBay, your Twinkies need not go to waste; the creme-filled sponge cakes have an R-value similar to fiberglass insulation.

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