Life Science

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.

Cork is the go-to material for wine stoppers and bulletin boards. So are we really running out of it? And if so, what happens?

By Wendy Bowman

Requiring little care and upkeep, daffodils are bright, showy perennials that symbolize rebirth and new beginnings.

By Wendy Bowman

People often make vision boards at the start of the year. Some swear by vision boards for making their dreams come true. But is there any science to back that up?

By Alia Hoyt

Viruses need hosts to replicate and reproduce. So if a virus has no host, how long can it survive? It depends on a lot of factors.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

There's a great need for people to donate their bodies to science but not many people think about doing it. What happens to your body after you make that decision?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

We love stories of twins who can sense each other's pain or know what the other is thinking. But is there really such a thing as "twinspiration" or is just coincidence?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

Viruses, viroids and prions are microscopic, infectious particles with a common, despicable goal - but the way each goes about achieving that goal is different.

By Debra Ronca

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

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

A Punnett square helps predict the possible ways an organism will express certain genetic traits, such as purple flowers or blue eyes.

By Jesslyn Shields

One in three people consistently struggle through the autumn and winter months with a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Here are some tips for dealing with it.

By Harriet Bowyer

Ever find yourself momentarily disoriented in a familiar place or encounter a friend who looks like a stranger? You could be experiencing jamais vu.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

You probably use the words mold and mildew interchangeably. But these two types of fungi aren't quite the same. Is one worse?

By Patty Rasmussen

Distilleries call this evaporative substance "angel's share" and promise that it's not dangerous, but nearby residents find it coating everything around them and aren't so sure.

By Patty Rasmussen

You can't find trees taller than these behemoths. But do you know which is the tallest tree in the world?

By Jesslyn Shields

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

In the quest for the title of world's oldest tree, there's some stiff competition, as well as questions surrounding the way we define "oldest."

By Laurie L. Dove & Sascha Bos

The Atacama skeleton has sparked intense controversy and, based on its appearance, speculation of alien origin since its discovery in 2003. But what is the real story behind this little skeleton?

By Mark Mancini

Cousins are indeed complicated. Who's your first cousin once removed? What is a second cousin? And what are kissing cousins? We'll tell you.

By Jesslyn Shields & Austin Henderson

Herd immunity means that after a certain percentage of a population is immune to a disease, the whole population is. This is usually achieved through vaccination but some are not convinced.

By Alia Hoyt & Molly Edmonds

In Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species, he referred to a number of "vestiges" in human anatomy that he posited are remnants left over from the course of our species' development over time. Darwin suggested that these vestigial organs are evidence of evolution and represent functions that were once necessary for our survival, but [...] The post 10 Physical Human Traits That Evolution Has Made Obsolete appeared first on Goliath.

By Wes Walcott

If you want to quantify how happy someone is, do you count the number of smiles he or she cracks in a single day? Some researchers are stumped as to how happiness can be measured.

By Cristen Conger

A new global report says 1 million species are at risk of extinction - the greatest number in human history.

By Jonathan Strickland