biology

The brain makes up 2 percent of the average person's body mass.

Three hundred water samples from around the lake will be tested.

Defining it is more complicated than you think.

James Harrison has donated blood more than 1100 times over the past 60 years.

More black bears are waking up earlier—or not hibernating at all.

From shooting blood from their eyes to using their own ribs as spears, these animals will do whatever it takes to stay alive.

Let's break it down.

Kim was the only regal jumping spider willing to participate in the researchers' study.

No, you're not the only one who has seen the face of Elvis in a potato chip.

It all comes down to vocal cords and hormones. Here's why girls' voices are usually higher than boys' voices.

Hans Hillewaert, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.03

With the ability to control and even kill their hosts, each one of these parasites could star as the next terror of the silver screen.

There's a lot we don't know about how whales hear.

This could change the way we treat the condition.

The enzyme has the potential to be improved even further.

People who stay up late and sleep in late have a 10 percent higher risk of dying sooner compared to early risers.

It could be your body's way of saying "watch out!" Here is the reason why sour things make you pucker.

It’s not actually your feet that stink. It's actually the bacteria that lives on your feet that smells.

Farts really can be deadly.

From cats and dogs to rats and seals, animals use whiskers to help them find their way and follow their prey.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Images: iStock.

Don't worry—it's perfectly normal.

This is a side of insect life we rarely get to see.

One of life's most pressing questions, explained.

iStock // Heinrich Hoffmann/Keystone Features/Getty Images // collage by Jen Pinkowski

An excerpt from Michael Ohl's 'The Art of Naming.'

Following age-related complications, Sudan—the last male northern white rhinoceros alive—was euthanized by a team of vets in Kenya in March 2018. But his genetic material could still be used to help save the species.

Why Are Our Brains So Big? Scientists Have a Few Possible Answers

DNA Analysis of Loch Ness Could Reveal the Lake's Hidden Creatures

What Is Death?

'Man With the Golden Arm' Retires From Donating Blood After Saving More Than 2 Million Babies

Climate Change Is Making It Hard for Bears to Hibernate Through the Winter

7 Impressive Animal Defense Mechanisms

What Is a Calorie?

Watch a "Trained" Spider Named Kim Leap Six Times Its Body Length

The Fascinating Science Behind Why We See 'Faces' In Objects

Why Are Girls' Voices Usually Higher Than Boys' Voices?

11 Body-Snatching Parasites

Scientists Use a CT Scanner to Give Whales a Hearing Test

Women Suffer Worse Migraines Than Men. Now Scientists Think They Know Why

Scientists Accidentally Make Plastic-Eating Bacteria Even More Efficient

Night Owls May Have a 10 Percent Higher Risk of Early Death, Study Concludes

Why Do Sour Things Make Me Pucker?

Why Are Feet So Stinky?

7 Fast Facts About Animal Farting

Why Do Animals Have Whiskers?

What's Really Happening When We See 'Stars' After Rubbing Our Eyes?

Watch a Caterpillar Hatch From an Egg the Size of a Pinhead

Why Your Knuckles Make That Satisfying Cracking Sound, According to Science

When German Scientists Tried to Rename Bats and Shrews, Hitler Threatened to Send Them to War

Remembering Sudan, the World's Last Male Northern White Rhino