Scientific Experiments

Science projects, like making a 3-D model for oxygen, are not only interesting; they offer a hands-on approach to learning. Learn about how to make a 3-D model for oxygen in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Around the world, in study after study, one color and one number always emerge as faves. Can you guess what they are?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

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

According to a new study, whole-body vibration has muscle and bone health benefits for mice.

By Shelley Danzy

After surveying thousands of published genetics papers, researchers found nearly one-fifth had errors caused by Microsoft Excel in their supplementary files. Uh-oh.

By Jonathan Strickland

Critics worry that journals with lax standards are lowering the reliability of scientific literature — and exploiting the inexperience of young researchers.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most well-known psychological studies, infamous for the participants' cruel behavior. But the whole story of the study is much more complex.

By Ed Grabianowski

A startup in California is touting the anti-aging effects of transfusing teenagers' blood on older people.

By Diana Brown

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

Neanderthals distilled tar more than 100,000 years before modern humans created glue; archaeologists compared three potential ways this ancient tech was used.

By Jesslyn Shields

We might not be able to reanimate a corpse, but Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' has influenced the research and ethics of scientists for 200 years.

By Jesslyn Shields

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

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

These days, we're busy hacking everything from our lives to our brains. Why should our bodies or our biological information be any different?

By Nicholas Gerbis

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

Toilets spew invisible aerosol plumes with every flush. How do we know? The proof was captured by high-powered lasers.

By John Crimaldi

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