Life Science

If dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct, you wouldn't exist. Extinction may seem inherently bad, but sometimes the death of a species encourages new life.

By Karen Kirkpatrick

There are many myths and stigmas associated with leprosy, almost all completely incorrect. It's not a very contagious disease, and it's easily treatable. What else is wrong in the common beliefs about Hansen's disease?

By Maria Trimarchi

Are trees and shrubs as cute as pandas? As awe-inspiring as whales? Maybe not, but many are in danger of going the way of the dodo — just like countless leafy greens before them. Learn about some amazing plants we lost to history.

By Clint Pumphrey

You're deep in dreamland when you hear an explosion so loud you wake up. But there's nothing outside or inside your house making the noise. What just happened?

By Sean Russell

Your body replaces billions (with a b!) of cells every day. In about 100 days, 30 trillion be replaced, but does that mean you're a new person, too?

By Chris Opfer & Allison Troutner

Ever tried to get your child, spouse or friend to do something by telling them to do the opposite? That's reverse psychology. But how often does it work?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

When you see someone yawning, even in a picture, chances are a yawning urge will come over you, too. But is this also true of sneezing, and if so, why?

By Laurie L. Dove

Like pretty well all living things, plants are equipped with natural defense mechanisms that help protect them from all the vicious animals out there that might want to eat them. In addition to stinging spikes and thorns, some plants are filled with deadly toxins that can make us violently ill or even kill us if […] The post The 12 Deadliest Plants In The World appeared first on Goliath.

By Wes Walcott

Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes. How hot is too hot for normal daily activity, even for young, healthy adults?

By W. Larry Kenney, Daniel Vecellio, Rachel Cottle & S. Tony Wolf

Yep, fungi are all around us — in the grocery store, in the woods or living on your discolored toenail. And fungi can break down almost anything.

By Jesslyn Shields

How do we consider a Thing with no edge? Ecosystem ecologists are always trying.

By Jesslyn Shields

No life, except possibly very small bacteria, would exist on Earth without photosynthesis.

By Jesslyn Shields

Emotionally sensitive people sometimes get a bad rap from others. But being an empath can be a gift, as long as you take care of it. So how do you know if you're one?

By Alia Hoyt

Chloroplasts are where some of the most miraculous chemistry on Earth goes down.

By Jesslyn Shields

You probably feel like you have very little in common with that banana lying on your kitchen counter. But science says you do! So, how is this possible? And is that stat accurate? We talk to the scientist who did the research.

By Alia Hoyt

On Johns Island, South Carolina, stands an oak tree so big and beautiful that people come just to stand under its branches and feel the magic.

By Patty Rasmussen

We all know what it feels like to be burned out. But does that really mean that our brain is tired? And is it the same as when other muscles tire out?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

We make a big deal about modern humans being smarter than Neanderthals, but, really, are we?

By Jesslyn Shields

Found along beaches and in the mangrove swamps of tropical climates, the fruit of the manchineel tree was called the 'little apple of death' by Spanish conquistadors.

By Katie Carman

Prokaryotic cells are like single-room efficiency apartments while eukaryotic cells are like mansions with many rooms — and they are the only two kinds of cells in the world.

By Jesslyn Shields

Most people throughout the world are right-handed. So can they teach themselves to use their left hands, too and become ambidextrous?

By Patty Rasmussen

Commensalism is a form of cooperation among species in which one species benefits from another without the first one suffering any harm from the relationship.

By Jesslyn Shields

The part of your cells that helps you recover from a hangover is shaped like a maze of tubes and is made of two parts — the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum.

By Jesslyn Shields & Yara Simón

It's one of those words that might remind you of certain gender-bending musicians from the '80s, but what does it mean today?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The Kobayashi Maru simulation puts future Starfleet commanders in a classic "no-win" scenario. It's so accurate, even the U.S. military uses the exercise to test the measure of a good leader.

By Mark Mancini