Life Science

The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus makes a mockery of ant free will. But how does it take over the ant body to control its host?

ByJesslyn Shields

You probably use the words mold and mildew interchangeably. But these two types of fungi aren't quite the same. Is one worse?

ByPatty Rasmussen

Changes in average height in a population say a lot about how nongenetic factors can affect human development. People in some regions have gained height while others haven't.

ByCharlotte LoBuono

Cousins are indeed complicated. Who's your first cousin once removed? And what are kissing cousins? We'll tell you in our cousins tutorial.

ByJesslyn Shields

The Atacama skeleton has sparked intense controversy and, based on its appearance, speculation of alien origin since its discovery in 2003. But what is the real story behind this little skeleton?

ByMark Mancini

In the quest for the title of world's oldest tree, there's some stiff competition, as well as questions surrounding the way we define "oldest."

ByLaurie L. Dove

The Bionic Reading app has exploded in popularity. But can it really make you a speed reader?

BySharise Cunningham

Snake plants are attractive and virtually ironclad houseplants, almost impossible to kill, though some of the hype about them acting as air purifying filters has been overblown.

ByJesslyn Shields

Mangroves provide a habitat for wildlife such as fish, birds, deer and insects. They also stabilize shorelines, protect against storm surges and improve water quality. What's not to love?

ByStephanie Parker

Think of goosebumps as 'skin orgasms' that are caused by unexpected and pleasant experiences. You know you get them when you're cold, but what is going on in our brains that triggers them?

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

The 2003 announcement that scientists had completed the first human genome came with an 8 percent gap. Now that gap has been filled and the first end-to-end human genome has been published.

ByGabrielle Hartley

Do the sewers hold the answers to the next COVID-19 surge? And what else can testing samples of untreated wastewater tell us about the health of our communities?

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

Ever find yourself momentarily disoriented in a familiar place or encounter a friend who looks like a stranger? You could be experiencing jamais vu.

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

It's more than just a cool trick. Monitoring that invisible animal DNA could have huge benefits for animal conservation.

ByAlia Hoyt

Scientists at the Natural History Museum in London described 552 species in 2021, including a couple of dinosaurs.

ByJesslyn Shields

Time to get nutty! How much do you know about all of the different types of nuts out there? Take this quiz and find out!

ByAlia Hoyt

One in three people consistently struggle through the autumn and winter months with a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Here are some tips for dealing with it.

ByHarriet Bowyer

A Punnett square helps predict the possible ways an organism will express certain genetic traits, such as purple flowers or blue eyes.

ByJesslyn Shields

Scientists have determined that years of ivory poaching to fund Mozambique's civil war altered the genetics of the country's elephants. But it only affected the females. A new study tells why.

ByJoanna Thompson

Whole genome sequencing can analyze a baby's DNA and search for mutations that may cause health issues now or later in life. But how prepared are we for this knowledge and should it be used on all babies?

ByJoanna Thompson

Research shows no two brains are put together quite the same way. And we can find out the patterns in under two minutes.

ByJesslyn Shields

Footprints unearthed at White Sands National Park in New Mexico were made some 23,000 years ago. That's much earlier than scientists have previously placed humans in the Americas.

ByMatthew Robert Bennett&Sally Christine Reynolds

CRISPR is the genius behind innovations that seemed impossible a decade ago. Could you grow tomatoes with the kick of hot sauce or ferment wine that doesn't cause a hangover? That's just two of the things scientists are looking into.

ByJoanna Thompson

Does it bug you when people around you fidget? If it does, you have something called misokinesia and you are not alone because one-third of those studied felt the same way.

ByTodd Handy&Sumeet Jaswal

Even if you've never seen a saguaro in person, when you think "cactus," you're probably thinking "saguaro."

ByJesslyn Shields