Scientific Experiments

HowStuffWorks explains the secrets of static electricity.

Mice are small and reproduce quickly, but they're more than just an animal of convenient size and libido. Mice have some truly special genetic gifts that it doesn't take a scientist to appreciate.

By Kate Kershner

From cornflakes to Silly Putty, many of the things we consume today were created unintentionally. Here are the stories behind eight well-known inventions.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Or is it? Learn how detectives, doctors, scientists, mathematicians, skeptics and theologians all use the principles of Occam's Razor to slice through data and arrive at a particular worldview or theory.

By Shannon Cicero

The occasional oddball research premise slips past the people who review government grant applications. What are some of the craziest instances of your tax dollars at work?

By Robert Lamb

Since the dawn of cartoons and comic books, kids have imagined themselves endowed with superpowers. What extraordinary abilities are scientists working to bring to you right now?

By Chris Jones

From a centenarian brain expert to a mistress of Voltaire, each of these female scientists has an incredible story. Do you want to meet them?

By Cristen Conger

Some truly bizarre and troubling things have been done through the ages in the quest for scientific knowledge. The 10 experiments on this list all made humans into lab rats.

By Maria Trimarchi

Before the scientific method came along, science dabbled in some pretty far-out ideas in its youth. Remember miasmas? And spontaneous generation? And the four elements?

By Nicholas Gerbis

Science is forever uncovering the mysteries of our universe, but some questions remain elusive. What topics have us still scratching our heads?

By Nathan Chandler

Animal testing has a long, gruesome history, but it's also saved countless human lives.

By Oisin Curran

You might have heard of George Washington Carver and Neil deGrasse Tyson. But what about Patricia Bath? Or Percy Julian? Meet 10 African American scientists who have made the world a better place for everyone.

By Laurie L. Dove

People donate their bodies to science all the time, usually after death. Here, we highlight 10 scientists who experimented on themselves while they were still alive. Not always such a good idea, eh Dr. Jekyll?

By Josh Clark

You might argue we have scientists to thank for our own survival. What breakthroughs have kept the human race from dying out?

By Patrick J. Kiger, Colleen Cancio & Kate Kershner

Even if you don't operate a scanning electron microscope all that frequently, you might want to brush up on these 10 scientific laws and theories. After all, they're some of our best tools for describing how the universe works.

By Jacob Silverman

You don't have to be a scientist in a white coat to use the scientific method. We all use it every day to make observations and solve problems.

By William Harris

Like any quality-control system, peer review was designed to scrutinize all new scientific discoveries, ideas and implications. So how does flawed research still slip through the system of checks and balances?

By William Harris

Newton's iconic laws of motion are at work all around you, whether you're watching an Olympic swimmer push off a pool wall or a batter hit a baseball. So what are they?

By William Harris

Few would argue that lab rats lead an easy life. Add to it the assertion that they are prone to cancer just by being lab rats, and we've found a whole new level of depressing. But is it true?

By Kate Kershner

Rats! They're just like family. Evolutionarily, anyway. So when it comes to research and biomedical study, what can they do for us?

By Kate Kershner

From Isaac Newton to Ivan Pavlov, scientists have developed and tested hypotheses through carefully crafted experiments for centuries. Here are three groundbreaking hypotheses and the predictions they tested.

By Mark Mancini

A drone with some petri dishes attached is making research much less stressful for whales and scientists alike.

By Jesslyn Shields

Do people born on the 13th of a month have a lifetime of bad luck? Researchers examined whether an “unlucky” birthdate could impact employment, earnings and marriage.

By Laurie L. Dove

Researchers have discovered a way to trigger and control a visual hallucination without drugs, illness or direct brain stimulation.

By Jesslyn Shields

Ah, the pride of leaving your name on a discovery as a lasting legacy of your time here on Earth. As the 10 discoveries on this list demonstrate, you probably won't get to revel in that pride while you're still alive.

By Maria Trimarchi