Life Science

The CBS drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" routinely uses cutting-edge technology to solve crimes, including collecting and analyzing DNA evidence. But catching a criminal using DNA evidence is not quite as easy as "CSI" makes it seem.

By William Harris

Plants that eat other creatures? It sounds like a genetic experiment gone awry. But there's actually nothing unnatural about it; carnivorous plants have been around for millions of years.

By Ann Meeker-O'Connell

Even if you're very ticklish, you probably are incapable of tickling yourself. Learn why.

Learn about weight gain and the processes going on in your cells.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Nature uses color in lots of different ways. Find out why some types of cabbage are purple and what this means.

How can the grass on the greens at a golf course be so perfect? What are they doing that's different from a normal lawn? Could my lawn look like this?

Genetically modified organisms have been around for centuries, but the controversy is really about foods that have been modified in the lab. Should we be worried about eating them?

By Alia Hoyt

How does hemp work? What do rope and "organic clothes" and drugs have to do with each other?

We've all heard of a "sixth sense" and extra-sensory perception. So how many ways can we actually sense the world around us?

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Mexican jumping beans are small, brown beans that seem to have a life of their own as they jump and move around. But what is it that makes them jump?

By Nicole Antonio

If you've heard of frankincense and myrrh, it's probably because of the biblical account of Jesus' birth. But have you ever wondered what exactly it was the three wise men gifted?

By Clint Pumphrey

Grass seed can grow just about anywhere, just as long as they have plenty of water and nutrients. Can grass grow on lava rocks as well as it can on soil, though? Find out the answer to this question in this article from HowStuffWorks.

Your body temperature has an important role to play in fighting off infections from viruses like the flu. Here's how it works.

It's a chicken-or-egg situation: What came first? Perplexed people need wonder no longer, as we've sussed out the answer to this ancient riddle.

By Alia Hoyt

How can children from the same parents look so different? I mean, why don't all kids from the same parents look exactly alike, since the parents just have one set of chromosomes each and they don't change?

There is a good chance that if you go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of grapes that they will be of the seedless variety. If the grapes are seedless, how are they able to produce new grapes? Find out the answer to that question in this article.

Every animal sleeps -- some more than others -- but why they do it is a mystery to scientists. Is sleep more than just beauty rest? Could skimping on it kill you? And how much do you really need?

By Marshall Brain

In this article, we'll look at laughter -- what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier. You'll also learn that there's a tremendous amount that no one understands yet.

By Marshall Brain

The human body is composed of about 10 trillion cells. Everything from reproduction to infections to repairing a broken bone happens down at the cellular level. Find out all about cells.

By Marshall Brain