Mind & Body

After Ebola is confirmed, doctors and scientists converge within days.

The Hunt for Ebola

A CDC team races to Uganda just days after an outbreak of the killer virus to try to pinpoint exactly how it is transmitted to humans

According to a new study, beautiful people are indeed happier but not always for the same reasons.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

How Much is Being Attractive Worth?

For men and women, looking good can mean extra cash in your bank account

Eating a fatty sandwich for breakfast could impact your cardiovascular health by the afternoon.

Even in Healthy Adults, High-Fat Fast Foods Affect Arteries Almost Immediately

In a new study, people who ate a pair of fatty sausage and egg sandwiches for breakfast showed reduced blood vessel health by the afternoon

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Scientists Use Cadaver Hands to Study the Dangers of Pumpkin Carving

A rigorous experiment compared pumpkin-carving tools to determine the safest way to carve a pumpkin

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The Mystery of Human Blood Types

The ABO blood group evolved at least 20 million years ago, but scientists still don't understand the purpose of blood types

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Take That, Cancer!

The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small--and maybe not so small--victories scientists have had this year

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The Carbon Dioxide in a Crowded Room Can Make You Dumber

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What Is the Most Annoying Sound in the World?

A new study examines the neurological basis for unpleasant noises—and finds exactly which sounds are the most irritating

New research indicates that the influenza virus can jump from humans to pet animals, raising the possibility of dangerous mutations.

Can You Give the Flu To Your Dog or Cat?

New research indicates that the influenza virus can jump from humans to pet animals, raising the possibility of dangerous mutations

Skull fragments from a 2-year-old child (exterior view, top left; interior view, top right) that died 1.5 million years ago contain evidence of anemia. The blood disorder can lead to very porous bone (bottom left, right).

Fossils Reveal Earliest Known Case of Anemia in Hominids

2-year-old child that lived 1.5 million years ago suffered from the blood disorder, which may suggest that hominids by this time were regularly eating meat

Human running is less efficient than the running of a typical mammal with the same body mass, a new study finds.

Energy Efficiency Doesn’t Explain Human Walking?

A new study of mammal locomotion challenges the claim that hominids evolved two-legged walking because of its energy savings

A rigorous experiment lent truth to the idea that hot drinks can help the body stay cool.

A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down

A rigorous experiment revealed that on a hot, dry day, drinking a hot beverage can help your body stay cool

The MinION device might sequence your entire genome over the course of hours and plug into your computer.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Quick and Cheap DNA Sequencing On the Horizon?

A new technique reads DNA base by base by threading it through a tiny pore

The entrance to Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq

Human Evolution Discoveries in Iraq

Fossils from the Shanidar Cave provide insights on health, violence and death rituals among Neanderthals

This skull from the Petralona Cave is one of the few hominid fossils found in Greece that date to the Middle Pleistocene.

Where Are Greece’s Missing Hominids?

Given its location and climate, Greece should be filled with hominid bones and stone tools

A new study indicates 3.6 percent of American adults are prone to sleepwalking, but scientists still don't understand what causes the phenomenon.

The Science of Sleepwalking

A new study indicates that a surprisingly high number of us are prone to sleepwalking. Should you wake a sleepwalker?

A grandmother in Ethiopia carries her grandchild.

Grandmothers Reduce Incidence of Breast Cancer?

By helping raise their grandchildren, grandmothers might have influenced the spread of certain genes, a new study suggests

The soft spot and metopic suture are clearly visible on the skull of the young human (right) and absent in the young chimpanzee (left). Those features are present, although harder to see, in the fossil of a young Australopithecus (center).

Why Do Babies Have Soft Spots?

Humans' big, fast-growing brains and unique style of walking explain why it takes so long for infant skulls to develop

The Australopithecus africanus fossil, Mrs. Ples, was indeed female.

Mrs. Ples: A Hominid with an Identity Crisis

In confirming the sex of one of the most iconic hominid fossils, researchers are helping explain the great physical diversity in Australopithecus africanus

The eight bones of the new fossil foot discovered in Ethiopia.

New Hominid Fossil Foot Belonged to Lucy’s Neighbor

A 3.4-million-year-old fossil foot shows that early hominids had more than one way of walking around

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