Mind & Body

Scientists Are Working on a Pill That Just Might Replace Exercise

The idea is to create a drug that mimics the molecular changes exercise causes in the body. But it's no small challenge

The Rise of DIY Genetic Testing

Some people are skipping the doctor's office and using the internet to order and interpret their own DNA tests

A relative unknown, Werner Forssmann won the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for inventing the cardiac catheter. Some of his equally qualified peers have not been as fortunate.

How Not to Win a Nobel Prize

A search through the Nobel archives shows how the history of the famous prize is filled with near misses and flukes

Rampant miscommunication in medicine due to language barriers compromises patient safety and quality of care while widening existing health disparities.

The Innovative Spirit

Millions of Americans Are Getting Lost in Translation During Hospital Visits

Miscommunication due to language barriers is a growing health care issue, and technologies to aid interpretation are racing to keep up

Can you resist the temptation of a midnight snack?

New Research

Americans Are Eating Later, and That May Contribute to Weight Troubles

Our bodies didn't evolve to handle midnight pizzas

Microbial clouds give new meaning to the term "personal space."

New Research

You Produce a Microbial Cloud That Can Act Like an Invisible Fingerprint

The unique cloud follows you wherever you go—and could ID you in a crowd

Innovative Spirit Health Care

Six Ways Electrical Brain Stimulation Could Be Used in the Future

Scientists are exploring how mild electrical shocks can treat, and perhaps even change, brains

Here's Why Our Brains Trick Us Into Seeing Things

The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, but it can make mistakes while interpreting the world around us

Smog glows in the sunset in Shanghai, China.

Age of Humans

Air Pollution Kills More Than 3 Million People Every Year

Fine particulates and ozone have been linked to deaths from heart disease, stroke and lung cancer around the globe

An illustration of the dengue virus, which is transmitted by mosquito bites.

A Single Protein Is the Root of Dengue's Virulence

But researchers who found the culprit say it could be a clue in developing a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus

Taste science ftw.

New Research

Winning Really Does Taste Sweet, Because Emotions Change Taste Perception

A study of hockey fans sampling ice cream may offer clues to the origins of emotional eating disorders

How does skin heal? You'll never look at a scab the same way again.

Ask Smithsonian

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Skin Heal?

The skin is an organ system that is unique to each individual, so not everyone heals the same way

Sure, it looks cute now, but a new study explores why babies influence their moms' DNA for years.

New Research

Baby’s Cells Can Manipulate Mom’s Body for Decades

An evolutionary approach may help scientists understand why mothers become genetic chimeras and how that affects their health

Fast Forward

A Mouthguard That Could Measure Concussions

Professional football, rugby, and other contact sports could benefit from it

Head lice crawl across a nit comb and into your nightmares.

New Research

Lice That Can Resist Drugs Have Infested Half the States in the U.S.

Mutated pests that can survive common drugstore treatments have been found in at least 25 states so far

Sweetgrass, a possible anti-mosquito agent.

New Research

This Sweet-Smelling Herb Can Ward Away Mosquitoes

Traditionally used by some Native American peoples, sweetgrass contains chemicals known to repel pesky bugs

Yeast, a multipurpose microbe.

Innovative Spirit Health Care

A Genetically Modified Yeast Turns Sugar Into Painkillers

Stanford scientists have engineered a strain of yeast that can produce opiates on its own

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Ask Smithsonian

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Get Prune Fingers?

Some researchers say that, like tire treads, our fingers and toes could get better traction in wet conditions

Coming to grips with our moral code.

New Research

How Time, Space and Authority Figures Influence Your Moral Judgment

A study of how people respond to outrageous acts suggests that our sense of crime and punishment is surprisingly flexible

Curly or straight, hairstyles are "a personal expression of beauty."

New Research

Curly Hair Science Is Revealing How Different Locks React to Heat

A mechanical engineer tackles the understudied problem of how to style curls without frying hair

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