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BIOLOGY

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8 Surprising Things You Might Be Doing While Asleep

Sleep might help the brain clear out and reorganize information. You might be surprised at what else you're doing while zonked.

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For the First Time, Scientists Find Jellyfish-Like Animal With ‘Transient’ Anus

The warty comb jelly forms an anus only when it needs to defecate, and it may hold clues to how the anus evolved millions of years ago.

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11 Squeaky-Clean Facts About Spit

Saliva is more important than you think: You need spit to taste, chew, swallow, and digest everything you eat. Your spit even fights tooth decay and cavities.

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10 Facts About the Element Lead

Ancient Romans put it in everything—even their wine.

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It 'Rained' Spiders in Brazil Last Week—and You Can Watch It If You Dare

They're not really falling from the sky—but the reality is perhaps even more disturbing.

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12 Facts About the Sense of Taste

It goes way beyond your taste buds.

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Elephants Are Evolving Without Tusks Thanks to Poaching

The pressures of ivory poaching have reshaped African elephant populations in just a few decades.

Laughter: Still a scientific mystery

12 Common Things Science Still Hasn't Figured Out

Experts have no real explanation for why we laugh.

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12 Facts About the Pancreas

Without this important gland, you'd be diabetic.

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14 Facts About Feet

Those 52 foot bones do a lot of heavy lifting.

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Scientists at UC San Diego Want You to Mail Them Your Poop

This gives "UPS" a whole new meaning.

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11 Insightful Facts About Eyes

See how many you know.

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13 Facts About Ovaries

They're tiny but mighty.

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7 Weird and Wonderful Octopuses

From the cute to the terrifying.

A Healthier Michigan, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Kansas City Police Need Your Help Tracking Down a Giant, Inflatable Colon

The Colon Cancer Coalition needs to raise $4000 to replace it.

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What's the Difference Between Venom and Poison?

It’s all about how it enters the body.

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12 Facts About Belly Buttons

The ins and outs.

Ilya Bobrovskiy, the Australian National University

Fossilized Fat Shows 550-Million-Year-Old Sea Creature May Have Been the World's First Animal

Organisms called 'Dickinsonia' defied classification for decades.

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The Weird, Disturbing World of Snail Sex

It involves something called a "love dart," and it's less romantic than it sounds.

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The Mysterious Mathematical Principle That Links Bus Systems and Chicken Eyes

Universality strikes a balance between order and randomness.

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Goats Like People Who Smile at Them

In case you need an excuse to smile at goats.

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Tiny Tunnels Between Your Brain and Skull Help Fight Disease

And scientists just discovered them.

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A Firefly's Twinkle Doubles as a Warning Sign to Predators

The light show is good for more than finding a mate.

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8 Animals That Were the Last of Their Species

From Benjamin the thylacine to Lonesome George the Pinta Island Tortoise, these endlings had an unfortunate claim to fame.