biology

The brain is arguably the one organ that makes you who you are—and the largest part of the brain is the neocortex.

Countless scientists, naturalists, conservationists, and support staff have died in the pursuit of knowledge that could protect vulnerable places and species, and enable people to live safer, healthier lives.

They may just save your life.

BMC Ecology via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Whether Columbus crabs choose "inclusive" mating or monogamy depends on where they shack up.

Evan Maclean via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Primatologists noticed older bonobos grooming their kin from a distance, like a person holding a restaurant menu at arm’s length.

Plant stems act like fiber-optic cables running light down to underground roots.

Your spit can tell you much more about your health than whether you should be flossing.

"Thirst neurons" activate when you drink, even though the liquid won't enter the blood for 10 to 20 minutes.

Steven G. Johnson via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Commerical fish populations are under threat.

Cats have been using humans for thousands of years.

In the past 500 years, cats have played a role in the demise of 63 species.

A new study suggests we could someday borrow the tardigrade’s resilience to use in our own flimsy bodies.

Watching them do it is weirdly unsettling.

Nope, that's not a snake. It's a glass lizard.

If a limbless reptile like the one above crosses your path, it’s obviously a snake, right? Maybe not.

The fruit and its wasp have been evolving together for millions of years.

In 1835, Charles Darwin arrived at the island chain that would shape his theory of natural selection.

A good reminder that not every life form is a fan of oxygen.

One species has the lowest field metabolic rate ever recorded in a mammal.

Richard Bartz via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-2.5

Scientists have identified a cellular pathway in workers that makes them susceptible to their queen’s fertility-destroying pheromones.

The same type of antibodies that cause illnesses like multiple sclerosis and lupus may also lead to a longer life.

Researchers were ready to fight a crab over rights to the mysterious prize.

Michael Ocampo via Flickr Creative Commons // CC BY 2.0

This tomato plant can sense and defend itself against invading plants.

Researchers say these gases “affect our brain, mind, and behavior.”

It may look silly, but it serves an important purpose.

9 Brainy Facts About the Neocortex

15 Naturalists Who Died in the Field

15 Throaty Facts About Vocal Cords

This Crab's Secret to a Happy Relationship Is a Turtle's Butt

Middle-Aged Bonobos Become Farsighted, Too

Plant Can Transmit Light to Its Roots, Study Reports

The Science of Spit

Your Brain Knows You've Quenched Your Thirst Before Your Body Does

Invasive Comb Jellies Crowd the Adriatic Sea

DNA of Ancient Cats Traces the Path of Their Global Conquest

Feral Cats Are Key Contributors to the Sixth Mass Extinction

Water Bears’ DNA Makes Them Practically Indestructible

This Stingray Is One of the Few Non-Mammals That Chews Its Food

5 Differences Between Snakes and Legless Lizards

Fig Pollination Is Incredible (And Probably Results In You Eating Mummified Wasps)

11 Naturally Selected Facts About the Galápagos Islands

How Cyanobacteria Created (and Nearly Destroyed) Life on Earth

Some Sloths Are More Slothful Than Others

Why Worker Bees Don’t Have Babies

Autoimmune Diseases May Have a Silver Lining

Scientists Have Found a Weird Purple Orb on the California Seafloor

How Tomatoes Fend Off Parasitic Vines

Scientists Study the Complex Roles of Gases in Our Bodies

Sideways Swimming Is More Efficient for Hammerhead Sharks