BIOLOGY

Can Mental Disorders Predict Physical Illnesses?

"The most substantial associations with physical diseases preceding mental disorders included those between heart diseases and anxiety disorders, epilepsy and eating disorders, and heart diseases and any mental disorder."

Scientists Have Found a Possible Cause of Severe PMS

Dysfunctional gene expression may make some people hypersensitive to sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

Charles Robert Knight via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Here's What a Neanderthal's Voice Might Have Sounded Like

Less grunting, more hoarse screaming.

INeverCry via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

New Vaccines May Prevent Fatal Opioid Overdoses

New hope for a pervasive problem.

10 Mysteries of the Human Microbiome Revealed

Your body hosts trillions of microbes—mainly bacteria, fungi, and viruses. That's (mostly) a good thing.

10 Stubbed Facts About Your Big Toe

9. Surgeons can make thumbs out of big toes.

Could Feeding Seaweed to Cows Help Save the Climate?

Scientists were able to reduce methane production by 99 percent in preliminary tests on artificial cow stomachs.

When We Go to Mars, How Will We Protect the Microbes From Us?

Life on Mars has yet to be found, but we're already making plans to protect it from us—and us from it.

Scientists Discover Seal-Like Prehistoric Predator

The animal lived off the coast of what is now Washington state about 10 million years ago and probably fished like seals do, relying on the power of its oversized eyes to track its prey.

9 Brainy Facts About the Neocortex

The brain is arguably the one organ that makes you who you are—and the largest part of the brain is the neocortex.

15 Naturalists Who Died in the Field

Countless scientists, naturalists, conservationists, and support staff have died in the pursuit of knowledge that could protect vulnerable places and species, and enable people to live safer, healthier lives.

15 Throaty Facts About Vocal Cords

They may just save your life.

BMC Ecology via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

This Crab's Secret to a Happy Relationship Is a Turtle's Butt

Whether Columbus crabs choose "inclusive" mating or monogamy depends on where they shack up.

Evan Maclean via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Middle-Aged Bonobos Become Farsighted, Too

Primatologists noticed older bonobos grooming their kin from a distance, like a person holding a restaurant menu at arm’s length.

Plant Can Transmit Light to Its Roots, Study Reports

Plant stems act like fiber-optic cables running light down to underground roots.

The Science of Spit

Your spit can tell you much more about your health than whether you should be flossing.

James D. Gathany, the Public Health Image Library via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

The Next Step in Malaria Prevention May Be to Make People Taste Bad

Scientists say the brains of malaria-carrying mosquitoes combine smell and taste when considering who to bite.

Your Brain Knows You've Quenched Your Thirst Before Your Body Does

"Thirst neurons" activate when you drink, even though the liquid won't enter the blood for 10 to 20 minutes.

Steven G. Johnson via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Invasive Comb Jellies Crowd the Adriatic Sea

Commerical fish populations are under threat.

DNA of Ancient Cats Traces the Path of Their Global Conquest

Cats have been using humans for thousands of years.

Feral Cats Are Key Contributors to the Sixth Mass Extinction

In the past 500 years, cats have played a role in the demise of 63 species.

Water Bears’ DNA Makes Them Practically Indestructible

A new study suggests we could someday borrow the tardigrade’s resilience to use in our own flimsy bodies.

This Stingray Is One of the Few Non-Mammals That Chews Its Food

Watching them do it is weirdly unsettling.

Nope, that's not a snake. It's a glass lizard.

5 Differences Between Snakes and Legless Lizards

If a limbless reptile like the one above crosses your path, it’s obviously a snake, right? Maybe not.

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