Body

The tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war, (which is technically a siphonophore, a group related to jellyfish), contain harpoon-like cells called nematocysts that deliver painful doses of venom.

Forget What You've Heard About the Pee Cure, Here's How to Really Fix a Jellyfish Sting

Scientists studied what to do and what not to do when stung by a jellyfish. The result? Folk remedies are bad.

Don’t skimp on the SPF

How Sunscreen Protects Your Skin’s DNA

The chemistry behind this protective lotion reflects a modern understanding of the danger of ultraviolet rays

This spine is the earliest intact reference for how humans' skeletons may have developed.

This 3.3-Million-Year-Old Hominin Toddler Was Kind of Like Us

Analysis of the ancient spine reveals tantalizing similarities—and questions about human evolution

Taste receptors for salty, sweet, bitter and sour are found all over the tongue.

The Taste Map of the Tongue You Learned in School Is All Wrong

Modern biology shows that taste receptors aren't nearly as simple as that cordoned-off model would lead you to believe

Some studies have shown that humans can learn to track scents like canines.

In Some Ways, Your Sense of Smell Is Actually Better Than a Dog’s

Human noses are especially attuned to picking up odors in bananas, urine and human blood

Fruit bats are thought to be the natural host for the Ebola virus. Groups like USAID PREDICT regularly monitor such diseases in wildlife to prevent the jump from animal to humans.

Can Saving Animals Prevent the Next Deadly Pandemic?

A global disease monitoring network is banking on the idea that healthier wildlife means healthier humans

Relaxing lap pool or urine-filled dystopia?

Scientists Found a Sweet New Way to Measure Pee in Pools

A common food additive reveals how much urine lurks in the lanes

From the tiniest to the most massive of poos, physics predicts we should all spend the same amount of time on the john.

A Grand Unified Theory of Pooping

Why you and an elephant spend the same amount of time on the john

Mmmmmm ... pretzels.

Salty Food Might Make You Drink Less, Not More

You can thank a future trip to Mars for a surprising new theory on how salt affects the body

A new study recommends that the peanut-allergic try consuming other nuts—but only under the supervision of a licensed allergist.

Tree Nut Allergies May Be Massively Overdiagnosed

But don’t go for the jar of almond butter just yet

View of the exhibition Body Worlds Pulse Gunther von Hagens that counts the history of human body in the 21st century at Discovery Times Square in New York in the United States.

Why Are We So Obsessed With Dead Bodies?

<i>Body Worlds</i> taps into a long, fraught history of humans displaying the deceased for "science"

Ovarian cells did their thing in a dish for researchers who used microfluidics and chips to recreate a female menstrual cycle.

Your Monthly Menstrual Cycle, Reenacted on a Microchip

Bodies are complicated, but they’re no match for persistent bioengineers

Bernard Fantus coined the term "blood bank" (and opened the world's first) in 1937.

The First-Ever Blood Bank Opened 80 Years Ago Today

Its inventor also coined the term "blood bank"

How a Soap Opera Virus Felled Hundreds of Students in Portugal

The “Strawberries With Sugar” outbreak is just one example of mass hysteria, which goes back centuries

Revolution is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.

Fly Through Space With This “Mixed Reality” Coaster

The park promises it won't give you motion sickness—well, more than on a regular rollar coaster, that is

Astronaut Twin Study Shows How Hard Space Is on the Body

The study’s first results suggest that space travel can cause changes on the molecular level

Soldiers schlepping heavy gear could one day use suits like these to help them walk farther, carry more, and experience less fatigue.

This Soft Exosuit Could Help People Walk Farther, Easier

Researchers at Harvard are developing an energy-saving supersuit that you might just wear one day

Victorian mores influenced ideas not just about men and women but animals too.

How Victorian Gender Norms Shaped the Way We Think About Animal Sex

No, females aren't always choosy and males don't always get around

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s system, which includes a grasper device and detachable tip, in 2016.

A California Startup Wants To Revolutionize Surgery, With Magnets

A new magnetic surgical system allows surgeons to make fewer incisions and have better views during gallbladder removals

North Sense, about a square inch in size and enclosed in body-compatible silicone, can be anchored to the chest via titanium piercings.

This Artificial Sixth Sense Helps Humans Orient Themselves in the World

A London-based company is selling North Sense, a body-anchored device that vibrates when it faces magnetic north

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